Cosmic Love and a Time Vortex
by FREYA ASTRID NOVA
Summary: You've heard it all before. Girl gets transported to her favorite Tv Show. Girl falls in love, blah, blah, blah. I'm Astrid, and well I'm unique. My story is much different than theirs. I'm only 14 and I did not fall in love with the Doctor I was already in love when I got there! So now cue the fireworks and let's get this story on the road! Here's my story ...
1. Ch 1: Falling into a Crack

_Sup, my name is Astrid and basically this is my story. Before we get too far into this very confusing story, let me just give you some background. Ok, so I'm fourteen. I know that I'm young and, well, you may not think I'm telling the truth. But honestly I couldn't care less. Or is it, I could care less? Oh, whatever!_

 _I have brown eyes, which is good because I can get things more easily with these puppy dog eyes. I'm adorable! Oh yeah, and I'm also a ginge. Like every crazy whovian, I dyed my hair ginger. Yeah, I know it's dumb, but I don't care! No one really pays me any attention. So yeah anyways … for those of you who don't know what a whovian is it's someone who is obsessed with Doctor Who. Oh that wonderful show! It's basically my life. I write in gallifreyan, I follow the actors on twitter like some sorta weird stalker with no life, and I write stories based off of Doctor Who. I know I sound like every single boring old Whovian on repeat. It's my life, I can't live without it blah blah blah. Yeah yeah I know. But just hear me out for a moment, I'm different from them. And no, I'm not gonna say it's because I got to meet them. I'm not some mediocre kid. I'm not gonna say it just like every single writer on the planet. Naw, that's no fun. I'm gonna say it with a big bang and maybe some fireworks. Ok, since i'm underage maybe no fireworks but still … I'm different. Ooo maybe I'll say it Rose Tyler style. Ok, so … I'm Astrid Salisbury and this is the day that I tell you how cool I am. So yeah, not necessarily cool but in general I'd like to think I'm cool._

* * *

Astrid was in the her room, like always, lying atop her bed typing a story … or at least trying to. She had a short story that needed to be completed for her creative writing class in less than twenty minutes and nothing was coming to her. Usually she could write and write and write but today she had no ideas whatsoever and it was making her very upset and angry at the moment.

She wrote down an idea and then, not thinking it good enough, crumpled it up and tossed it blindly over her shoulder without a second glance. She was done. She didn't know what to do, but she certainly wanted a good grade on it. She quickly jumped up, pacing, trying to figure out what to do. Normally, Astrid walked to school and she would be late if she didn't leave for school soon which would blemish her perfect attendance record.

Astrid was a poster child for the perfect student. She had a perfect record, she got all A's and she rarely ever studied. Plus she was taking three languages, which was a very high achievement for a freshman in High School. The only problem was like now, she procrastinated and usually made it up last minute it was due. Now being no exception.

She quickly glanced at the clock, which made her even more frustrated, seeing that the time was very close to the beginning of school. She threw her head up in despair and then quickly snatched up her laptop, printing out one of her short stories about Doctor Who, knowing it would have to do for now. Her Doctor Who stories were definitely creative enough, there was no question. She tossed it in her bag and threw on her old worn blue converse that matched quite nicely with her black TARDIS shirt and her blue jeans. She quickly slide a bobby pin into her shoulder length ginger hair and ran out the door, a banana in hand as she ran down the sidewalk towards the school that was quite far in the distance from where she was. She ran and ran, not even stopping to catch a breath or look to see where she was going, everything blurring past her in a haze of colors, spinning relentlessly around her.

Quite suddenly Astrid's world tilted and her legs came out from under her as she fell clumsily onto the sidewalk, her arms sprawled out in front of her. She closed her eyes and winced as a pain shot through her knees and elbows. Her head was screaming. She knew she was hurt and that her clumsy act had cost her a lot of time. She went to stand up, her eyes still closed tightly in pain, but found that her knees refused to bend.

Astrid opened her eyes to try to figure out how close to the school she was, but instead of the school, she saw something she'd never thought she would see in a million years. She was laying on a glass floor … and that glass floor was in the TARDIS. She smiled and looked up to face three very shocked people that she knew very very well. She had watched them every day after all. Rory was the first to come out of his shocked stupor and he quickly raced over to her.

"Are you ok? You look hurt," he said to her, helping her stand so she was leaning up against the console, allowing him to check her injuries.

"Yeah, I had a collision with a sidewalk. I'm too clumsy for my own good. I'm Astrid, by the way," she said, wincing as he gently applied pressure to her bleeding knee.

"Don't worry I'll have you fixed up in no time. I'm Rory and I'm a nurse," Rory replied, very gently smiling at her and staring at her with nice kind eyes. Oh, Rory the kindest guy in the universe. Amy was so very lucky to have him.

Speaking of Amy, she and the Doctor had also snapped out of it and were now whispering animatedly to one another in the corner, the Doctor taking quick peeks at her every few minutes.

"It looks like you just have a few brush burns and a scrape, but you should be fine otherwise." Astrid smiled back at Rory with sincerity just as the other two walked over towards them with looks of determination. Astrid, knew that look well enough to know that if he didn't get what he wanted, he would get angry. Astrid knew one thing, she did not want an angry Time Lord on her case. Not in a million years.

"How did you appear in my TARDIS?" the Doctor asked, rather bluntly. He was cutting to the chase like always and Astrid rolled her eyes in annoyance at the rude question.

"The even better question is why your Tardis appeared around me." She said smirking at him, quite proud of her sassy comment. She knew he didn't take well to people who knew more than him and she was so gonna throw that back in his face.

"It didn't appear around you that's impossible … unless … unless … unless. Ugh, wake up." She smiled at his antics knowing that he was trying to figure out how she had gotten there in the first place. She kinda wanted to know too. Why did she appear here? How did she appear here?

"If it makes your thinking any easier Doctor, I was on my way to school and I fell face first into the sidewalk before I showed up here." The Doctor froze very suddenly and then he turned towards Astrid, suspicion very clearly in his eyes and curiosity brimming very dangerously near the edge.

"How do you know my name?" He said fright in his voice as he stared into her brown irises, her eyes stubborn and his curious.

"Well if you actually looked around. One, if you can tell my shirt has a Tardis on it which means I'm clearly not from around here. Two, my converse and glasses look eerily like your tenth incarnation. And finally, last but not least, the huge and embarrassing give away would be my phone lock screen which shows several pictures of you. This all adds up to the fact that I'm from a parallel universe." They all stared at her wide eyed once again, shock welled up within them, except this time they snapped out of it quite sooner.

"But I thought …" The Doctor started, clearly very confused with what was going on which hardly ever happened in reality.

" Yes I know parallel universes are supposed to be blocked off but for some reason I'm here."

She said cutting him off from his unfinished thought. She started to pace her bag now on the floor and kicked over to the side as she thought.

"How did you know I was going to say that?"

"Keep up, I'm from another universe. Of course I know what your going to say it was my favorite show after all. Now hush, thinking."

Astrid replied, gesturing quite rapidly with her hands as she paced in a circle unsure.

"Show?" Amy spoke up, finally speaking in their conversation. Astrid threw her hands up exasperated with the Scot as she continued to pace.

"Yes Show. This whole thing in my universe is a show called Doctor Who which centers around the Doctor's life and it was my favorite. Now hush thinking." She said annoyed staring at her with glee in her eyes. Her brain and mouth obviously telling a very different story.

"Geez she's like a mini Doctor. No wonder it was her favorite show." Amy whispered to the other two. Motioning towards the frustrated younger girl that had now stopped with her eyes calculating, the gears in her head clearly turning. Suddenly she jumped up and down excitedly knowing just the right answer to all of her questions.

"Ok so going by what happened I'm going to say that there was a crack in time and space where time and space shouldn't have touched in that sidewalk I slipped on. Sound good?" She said looking very unsure of herself and just a little bit worried. The Doctor smiled at the young american and gave her a huge hug, Astrid smiling widely at the gesture.

"You're brilliant Astrid!"

"Aww thanks. I'm really not though, I just got that from the show."

She said blushing a deep red. He then grabbed out the sonic screwdriver from his tweed jacket and scanned her, making her feel very very happy that this was all very real. She knew that this was either real or just a harsh dream that would turn into reality, but the sonic proved that this was so very real and that made her smile.

"You were right you have time particles stuck to you, you must have traveled through the crack and ended up here," the Doctor said as he walked around the console, directing her around the TARDIS.

"So what are you gonna do with her? She can't go home Doctor," Amy said in confusion, watching as they walked around the console.

"She can come with us of course, she has nowhere else to go. Besides, I need to keep close tabs on you," the Doctor said looking back and forth between Astrid and Amy.

"Really? That's like everything I've ever dreamed of. Thank you!" she exclaimed, hugging the Doctor, smiling brightly. The Doctor smiled as well, knowing that he had made her happy, no matter how confused he had been since she arrived.

"Welcome to the family Astrid!" Rory exclaimed from off to the side as she squealed in happiness and ran up to Rory giving him a hug as well. She was happy and a mystery to the Doctor. A mystery worth solving. And even if it killed him he was gonna find out. Why was she here? Why did she happen end up here after touching a crack? What was special about her? Why? Oh he would find out. He would eventually. But now he would enjoy this very bright young girl because who knew the next time he would meet someone as smart as himself. Who knew? For now he would let her smile because he liked it that way. Maybe tomorrow it wouldn't be this happy but he knew one thing, today … right now was a happy ending. Everything was good and everyone was happy. Yeah today was a happy ending and he as sure as hell was gonna keep it that way!


	2. Ch 2: Tardis Games

P.S: All Mistakes are mine! I don't own Doctor, but I do own Astrid!

* * *

It had been a week since she had arrived mysteriously into the Tardis through a crack in a sidewalk, and it had been very eventful indeed. She had gotten to know the Ponds more than what even she knew. But most of all she got to learn more about the amazing Doctor. She so wished she were older because she was in love already. Which at her age was really, really wrong. She had never experienced love such as this before, yeah sure she had crushes here or there, but she had never actually had fallen head over heals like she had for this amazing idiot called the Doctor. Yeah she knew she sounded boring and like this was starting to sound like a any other fan's love story, but this was different. Sure, you've probably heard that a million times before, but really, when did a girl not fall in love with the Doctor. There was Rose, Martha, Madame de Pompadour, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Nefertiti, even Amy attacked him with kisses at one point. It was impossible not to, he was a timelord that had a very oblvious nature and a really cute face. She was taken with him and she was way to young! That's what made her different from everyone else. She was just barely a teen in love with a over nine hundred year old man. You must be thinking … she's only fourteen, she doesn't know anything about love. Well listen here, her heart knew what love was, even if she didn't, and she knew her hearts felt love when looking at that foolish idiot of a man. She knew that it wouldn't happen but hey a girl could dream can't she. She was young and like she said before the age gap was huge. But for now she would just ignore it because hell, it was a stupid thought. The Tardis was also amazing, the old girl had made an awesome room just for her. When she walked in she thought that it was impossible that it was hers, simply because it was so beautiful. It had astounding walls that were painted different hues of blue and green all swirled together, a bookcase attached alongside one wall holding several of her favorite books. The bed was large and comfy and had Tardis blue sheets and tons of pillows, making her sigh at how comfortable the whole thing was. It felt like she was floating on a cloud of some sort, therefore she pronounced it the comfiest bed in the universe. It was hard not to just lay there and fall asleep all week. She had a cute little bathroom attached that held a bath and shower as well as a cute little mirror which made her smile at the sight. But the most amazing part had to be the ceiling. When she looked up the ceiling was not a blue and green hue like the rest, no, it was even better. When she looked up she could see a bunch of constellations and stars and planets painted up there. She could see the whole of space and it made her very happy indeed. Among these planets she saw Earth and her solar system, as well as others that she didn't know quite well. But what made her freeze in her tracks was the little red planet on the other side of the medusa cascade. Gallifrey. The Doctor's home. That week all she did was catch up with them and today was no different. Today she had eaten a nice breakfast the Tardis had made, and played a quick game of darts with the Ponds. When she means played, what she really meant to say was won. Now she was wandering the Tardis halls looking for somewhere to hide. That's right hide. The Doctor and the Pond's were bored and wanted something to do so she suggested hide and seek. Right now she was the only one that hadn't been it yet and that she was proud of. At the moment she was lost. She didn't know where to hide! The Doctor would finish counting any minute now and he knew the Tardis rooms pretty well. Better than them at least. If she didn't hide soon she was a gonner. He'd find her in ten seconds flat for crying out loud! Quite suddenly a door opened to her left, snapping her out of her thoughts. A reassuring hum broke into her head and she smirked, knowing that the Tardis may have just helped her. She walked in to find the kitchen and the hum sounded again leading her to the freezer. She walked hesitantly over to the now opened freezer, wondering what the Tardis was planning. As she got within touching distance she realised that the freezer was bigger on the inside, and that it was definitely not cold.

"Thanks Sexy. You're the best!" She whispered quietly, stroking the wall as a content hum was heard in her mind. She quickly heaved herself up and climbed into the freezer knowing that the Tardis may have just saved her life. She smiled and looked around noticing that the only thing in the freezer with her were bowls of custard. She smirked an evil smile and got ready for a long wait.

* * *

Amy had a wonderful week so far and it was all down to the fact that Astrid loved to do anything she did. Not only was she another fiery ginger on board but she made Rory laugh, a lot, which was always an added bonus. She also seemed to make the Doctor really happy for some unknown reason. Ever since his friend with the space hair didn't come to visit in a while, he'd been down in the dumps a lot lately. The young woman had set him in line and made him more content with life and now that she was gone so was that contentment. But Astrid, Amy noticed brought that happiness back into his life. Now that she thought about it his friend also was … oh wait she was getting off track now. Alright so now then, they were playing hide and seek and Amy was not happy. Not one bit! The Doctor had found her first. This was simply because she thought that if she stayed in the console room, he wouldn't find her. This proved false when he immediately found her after counting, which was very sad for her because it meant that she had lost her bet against Rory. She owed him twenty bucks now because she told him that her plan would work! But no it had to go and totally not work at all! Now she was grumpily walking along with the Doctor as he walked aimlessly through the halls, waiting to find the amazing Astrid, the only person not found yet. Astrid was a genius when it came to games, Amy hoped with all her might that just this once that she wasn't. Amy was getting hungry and tired. She wanted to eat and then fall asleep in her comfy room and she was sure as hell going to! So that smart kid had better be found soon or else Astrid was gonna hear an earful from her.

* * *

Rory was so happy since Astrid came. Which sounds wrong because yes, Amy his wonderful fiancee did make him happy, but Astrid was different. He had a connection to her and well he felt like he knew her. He couldn't explain it even if he tried. It just made him happy to be around her. Take today for example, they were all bored and complaining and she suggested hide and seek. A child's game. Because she had known it would them happy. From what Amy had told him, she seemed to be a lot like the Doctor's friend that she said she had met only once before hand. His friend made him really happy, happier than he had been traveling with them. The way Amy explained it was that right now was not the real Doctor and what they had been seeing was the mopey shell of him. He saw that change in him and he knew that it was good. Like today for example … they were playing hide and seek and he just won't stop smiling while they looked for Astrid. Of course, Astrid is the last one that has to be found. He had been found quite quickly for his liking, hiding in his own room, but Rory was happy. He got twenty dollars from Amy for winning a bet after all, and he was hungry so he didn't really mind getting found. Lose a game but win a bet? Sure, why not!

* * *

The Doctor was very happy and had an excellent week! Astrid no matter how much of a mystery she was just acted so much like _**her**_. They were both sassy and proud of it, they both won everything and loved bossing him around and putting him in place, but most of all they both made him happy for some unknowable reason. They both just had this joy surrounding them and it made him feel like he could do anything. The other thing was that he could see just how much this young girl looked up to him. Just like _**her**_. He could see it in her eyes, that she held some sort of love and respect for him just like _**her**_ and it made him just miss _**her**_ even more. His girl, his amazing girl with her amazing all knowing powers. She had promised him that he would see her again but nothing had happened yet. He was upset when she was gone, he was merely a shell of what he once was. He could not live without his amazing girl. But Astrid the young girl with ginger hair and an attitude just made him think of her, and it broke him out of his shell. He was happy with life again and the young girl proved that. The girl had literally fallen out of her world and into theirs. He didn't know why, or even why this crack was following them around everywhere, but he knew that she was a miracle. Without her here he may not have been able to function. Wait a minute … Astrid has the same … NO! Really! He had suspicions now and Astrid was certainly a miracle. A miracle that he knew the mystery of now. All he needed now was some evidence and he didn't know when he would get that. She had no indicator … no red ring, no glowing eyes. But it had to be, there was no other explanation. He was really getting off track, now then, hide and seek. He had found Amy and Rory already, all he needed now was to find Astrid. The one girl on his mind at the moment. He knew the Ponds were getting hungry so he needed to find her and soon. He did not want an angry Amy on his case, not ever. Wait a mo … food. Astrid had to be hungry, so she had to be somewhere in the kitchen! She had to be! That sneaky girl. He knew that Amy would want to outsmart him by staying in the same room as him. Rory thought that he would never look in their room. But Astrid … She thought differently. She thought more long term. She thought of what was going to happen in the future and that helped her plan her move. The Doctor had to admit she was a really clever girl. But he knew her … he knew Astrid in the future and he knew Astrid better than she knew herself. He was clever when it came to her.

* * *

They walked around the kitchen not seeing Astrid at all. Amy started to get a little fidgety until finally she had, had it.

"Astrid I'm starving and I want to bloody eat so if you don't come out this moment I will tell him what you told me!" Amy screamed, not caring if Astrid had actually heard her. Apparently she had, because quite suddenly the freezer opened and out jumped Astrid, a bowl of frozen custard in hand, smiling as she scooped it out with a spoon.

"Amy all you had to do was ask nicely." Astrid answered,scooping another bite of custard out of the container.

"Why are you eating my custard? That's for my fish custard! " The Doctor asked, as he quickly tried to snatch it from her hand. Astrid already being prepared for it, quickly moved out of the way as to not get the delicious food taken away from her.

"The old girl led me to the freezer and there was some in there, so I ate it." Astrid said shrugging her shoulders, not seeing the problem at all.

"Well what am I supposed to eat?" The Doctor answered back, a small pout resting on his face as he crossed his arms upset.

"Well Doctor dear, I'm sure you can eat one of the many other bowls in the freezer, but if you honestly want this one I can always share." Astrid said, walking closer and holding it out to him in an offer of peace.

"But you already ate out of it!" The Doctor whined. His child like tantrum now in full swing, the Doctor now acting like a toddler that didn't want to share his toy with the new kid. Astrid huffed and for a slight second her eyes glowed a dull red color, surprising the Doctor who had seen it. He knew that to the other two it would look like a reflection, but he knew that glow. It really was her. Astrid not even fazed by the change in the Doctor's attitude, angry at the timelord, overturned the bowl on his head.

"There you got what you wanted dear. You got your custard back now stop acting like a toddler." The Doctor licked his lips and a bright smile came to them. This was definitely her, there was no question. She was just as fiery as Donna, with Martha's kindness, and Rose's laughter, she had Jack's flirty habit, and Mickey's questioning gaze, she held Amy's funny nature, and Rory's heart. She was all of his friends all rolled into one. She was his girl and he could see that now. He had been blinded by her looks and age. But she was her. She was standing there a glare on her face and the stars in her eyes not knowing the long, tiring adventure that lay ahead. She was his girl before all the damage. Before all the hurt, and danger and knowledge. She was his girl before it all began. Soon enough her life would get complicated and she would get hurt and confused. Right now though it was her before it all. She was his amazing girl, the girl with the all knowing power. He knew that it was actually just foreknowledge now, but it was really her. And he was going to take care of her until his last breath, because now he knew. All he had to worry about now was when the Tardis part was going to kick in, but for now she was safe. She was here, and that was all he could ask for. Because some day she was going to do amazing things. One day she was going to save him. One day she was going to save the world.


	3. Ch 3: Hungry Earth Pt 1

"Behold, Rio." The Doctor shouted as he walked out of the Tardis, spinning to face them, an excited grin on his face and his hands in the air.

"Did you land in the wrong place … Again. This is so not Rio." Astrid commented, looking at the damp cold area. She of course having lived in a parallel universe already knew where they had landed. Due to her amazing memory she also knew that her best friend would not make it out of this alive. This scared Astrid. Rory was the only one that seemed to want to talk to her now. Ever since last week when the Doctor and Amy had had a silent conversation, it was like she was invisible to them. They hadn't talked to her or even looked her way since. It was like she was a ghost to Amy and the Doctor. Not only did it hurt her that Amy would ignore her but it broke her because the Doctor, her Doctor, the one she loved and cared for felt the same way. Whatever they had talked about it had certainly changed their view of her that was for sure. But Rory, sweet, kind Rory made her feel wanted here. Rory was kind and she had a sort of connection to him that just made her trust him. Even if the other two never talked to her again she was glad at least Rory would.

"Yeah, not really getting the sunshine carnival vibe." Astrid heard her Rory reply. She knew not a lot of people paid him attention but she knew that if they stuck together they would never be ignored. This made her break even more because it wasn't just her getting ignored by the other two, it was him as well. The sad thing being that Amy was his fiance and he was being ignored. When she really thought back through the episodes, when the Doctor came back Amy even introduced him as a kind of boyfriend! Amy would see after today, they would both see after today. What Astrid didn't know was just how right she would be.

"No? Ooo, feel that, though. What's that?" The Doctor exclaimed, an excited hum still in his tone as he started jumping up and down. Another thing Astrid didn't know is that the Doctor was not ignoring her. In fact he was trying to impress her. He had a plan for his Astrid. He even had talked with Amy about it a week ago. He explained how it was her, the one she had met. Just a younger version of her before everything happened. After he had finished explaining the Doctor panicked. He knew that if he let any spoilers slip then it would rewrite a fixed point. Amy had calmed him saying that they could simply just not talk about them. So that day they had agreed to not let any spoilers slip. So in reality when Astrid thought they were ignoring her, they weren't. They were scared that they would let a spoiler slip. So they stayed quiet around her. He stayed quiet around her. But what the Doctor didn't know was that it was slowly setting her on the path that lead her to who she was in the future. Broken and hurt beyond repair. He was the one that turned Astrid into her. It was his fault that she was who she was. Heartbroken.

"Yeah, what is it?" Astrid agreed, quickly following suit of the timelord and jumping on the up and down. Amy and Rory both rolling their eyes at the young girl's action. The other two knew that Astrid was in love with the timelord. Both for very different reasons though. Amy knew because she knew Astrid's future. She knew what happened and what was to become of the younger girl. She knew that she had to be in love or else time would be rewritten and everything that made Astrid who she was in the future would be lost. Rory knew because she had told him. They had long talks together in the mornings when no one else was milling around in the Tardis, and during one of those times it slipped out. She had trusted Rory and she let it slip in a moment of weakness. He had accepted it, even when she told him that it wasn't right because she was just barely a teenager. He told her that the heart knew what it wants all she had to do was a wait a little while. Even if they hadn't known, it would have been plain as day with just the way she acted around him. She did everything he did even if it was silly and she looked at him with gleaming eyes that sparkled in the light. The same way that Rory looked at Amy.

"Ground feels strange. Just me and Astrid then. Wait. That's weird." The Doctor said as he walked off to something that only Astrid could see. He knew that if this trip didn't impress young Astrid he didn't know what would. He knew from experience that Astrid was a really hard person to impress. This was all due to the fact that she already knew everything that was going to happen. Since she already knew then it was hard to show her something that she hadn't already seen. Another thing that keyed in was the fact that later on her timeline would be as messed up as River's which made it harder to show her things that she hadn't already vanished off to. So he hoped that since she was early in her timeline than maybe just maybe she could still be surprised. And he was gonna be the one that surprised her.

"Ooh that's cool." Astrid commented as she came closer. She now stood right next to the Doctor shoulder to shoulder with the timelord that was now smiling. She had to admit, even if she had already seen it on the television in her universe, the television had not done it justice. Right now she was impressed at the sight and she loved the color of it. The Doctor was on the other hand because he knew. He knew that she was impressed because he knew her. She was his Astrid and he could see the shimmer in her eyes that meant that she was impressed. He just knew she was.

"What's weird? What's cool? Nevermind just stop trying to distract us. We're in the wrong place. Doctor, it's freezing and I've dressed for Rio. So has Astrid. We are not stopping here. Doctor. You listening to me? It's a graveyard. You promised me a beach." Amy said, rubbing her arms to warm them. She was cold. No, that was an understatement, she was freezing. The wind was blowing and the temperature had dropped since they had arrived here. She didn't know what was keeping them there or what they were looking at on the ground but she wanted to leave. She wanted a warm beach with sand and a hot sun and carnivals galore. She did not want to be at this dump where it was freezing and dull, not one person to be seen. She was gonna leave whether that meant with or without them.

"Blue grass. Patches of it all around the graveyard. So, Earth, 2020-ish." The Doctor said as he picked it up and tasted it, watching as Astrid crinkled up her nose in disgust. She loved the Doctor she really did, but when he insisted on doing repulsive things like eating grass … well she rather wish she didn't. She knew that he did stuff like this but she had to stop him. He was just asking for trouble. Someone could take advantage of that trait and try to poison him … again.

"Ten years in your future, wrong continent for Rio, I'll admit. Sorry, Amy." Astrid spoke up, looking over at the older woman. Astrid knew how upset Amy was that they weren't in Rio. She herself wasn't bothered by the weather, having walked to school in the snow several times without a jacket on. But Amy looked downright freezing. She also could clearly see just how much Amy really didn't want to be there and how much she just wanted to leave. She knew that soon, really soon she wouldn't want to be there either and it was again because of what would happen to her best friend, Rory.

"It's not a massive overshoot though." The Doctor said looking at Amy, not even noticing that Astrid had slammed her hand against her face in frustration. Sure it wasn't a massive overshoot you just happened to land on the wrong continent, in the wrong year, with the opposite weather as Rio. Oh, but you got the right planet at least. Astrid thought sarcastically as she walked closer to the pair. Amy now smiling at Astrid and the Doctor. She could clearly see what was running through the younger girl's head and it made her smile at how cute they acted together. Even if they weren't a couple they sure seemed like it. The way they acted just showed it. Amy turned her head and looked into the distance to see something odd.

"Why are those people waving at us?" Amy said craning her head to try and figure out the mystery behind the two people in the distance, where two waving people stood. By the way Astrid smiled Amy knew right away that her all knowing powers told her what was going on. Amy knew that this was almost the person that she knew but not quite. She was still too shy. She had loved that person, she was spunky and not afraid to tell people what she thought. Astrid was still a shy little mouse that only seemed to want to talk to Rory which made her upset.

"Can't be." The Doctor said also trying to look at the people so far away from them, already having a pretty valid hypothesis to who it was. He walked a bit farther trying to get a closer look to try and prove his hypothesis wrong but he just couldn't see them. He knew that Astrid knew he could just see it in her eyes. She knew yet she still had gotten impressed and that surprised him. He knew that she knew what was going to happen and what made him frustrated was that he couldn't ask. If he asked it could rewrite time. He knew that from experience. From the one terrible day where he had forced her and pushed her beyond limit. Time had almost been rewritten that day if it hadn't been for her. She had stopped him and he had calmed him down. She had hurt her though, and it was the first time she had walked away from him. It had hurt him too, but because she had walked out and he promised never again would he push her to tell him foreknowledge.

"But it is." Astrid said smiling at the Doctor as she walked up to the Timelord. She did indeed know who those two people were and that alone made her smile. Rory knew that if Astrid was smiling at them, they must be safe. So being the kind person he was he waved back at the waving people. Amy, not trusting Astrid's judgment quickly placed his hands down and shook her head at him, reprimanding him for his actions as if scolding a young boy. The Doctor still being ever so curious to the identity of the people quickly pulled out a pair of binoculars from his bigger on the inside coat pockets and looked out at the people still waving at them.

"Was I right?" Astrid questioned, staring at the Doctor as he looked through the binoculars, a look of surprise on his face. He knew it was impossible but it was them. Astrid knew and it had been why she had smiled her bright, beautiful smile. Just to check to see if he wasn't just seeing things he brought the binoculars away from his eyes and fiddled with the setting, to then quickly bring them back up to his eyes. This action caused Astrid to laugh hysterically at the timelord's actions and made her smile with delight. The Doctor was being more hilarious than in the show, that silly man! To stop her from her laughing spree he quickly passed the binoculars to Astrid and she pulled them up to her eyes, the smile still plastered to her lips. She looked out to the people and saw the two people she knew it to be.

"Of course I was right!" Astrid exclaimed, knowing that she most certainly was in the episode she knew and love to be Hungry Earth. Even on her planet she had loved this episode so much. But now, actually being in it she hated it. Amy got hurt and she hated it when Amelia got hurt. She got hurt because of what happened to Rory and she knew that by the end of the episode she would get hurt too. She knew that she could make a difference and her plan involved pulling Rory out of the way. That way Amy wouldn't get hurt and neither would Rory. But most of all, neither would she. She didn't want to get hurt even more so than she already was, if she did she might break. She needed her Rory. He was the only one who understood her.

"Who is it?" Amy asked, still very curious as to who the mystery people were that the Doctor and Astrid seemed to know about so much. It had to be someone they knew if Astrid was smiling, and it had to be someone that they hadn't seen in a while since the Doctor looked so surprised. Just to prove Amy's point, the Doctor in disbelief stole the binoculars out of Astrid's hands and looked once again at the smiling, waving people in the distance.

"It is. It's you two!" He said pointing at Amy and Rory, obviously still very confused to how or why they got over there. Astrid could see the gears turning in his head as several facts slide across his mind, as he tried to pinpoint exactly how Amy and Rory were both here and over there in the distance. What Astrid knew is that he was missing the obvious, like always and that all he needed was a few minutes to figure it out which he would gladly give him. If he didn't figure it out after that though she was inclined to hit the idiot on the head. It was obvious to her even if she hadn't already known. I mean they were wearing different outfits from the Amy and Rory standing next to them for crying out loud!

"No, we're here. How can we be up there?" Rory questioned, also very confused on what was going on. Rory walked clumsily over to where Astrid was standing, almost tripping over his own feet. Astrid knew that if she hadn't caught him and helped him then he would have definitely fallen flat onto his face. Rory quickly composed himself and sent a smile towards Astrid for her help. Without Astrid he probably would have broken something with the amount of times that he had clumsily tripped over his own two feet. The Doctor by now was still thinking and it was really starting to piss Astrid off. He should have got it by now! Her eyes started to shimmer a dull red yet again as she got angrier and more frustrated with him. The only person who noticed it yet again was the Doctor who knew her too well. The only one who knew her better then anything in the universe. Finally, she had enough. She briskly walked up to the Doctor and hit him in the head, a smile on her face knowing that he had deserved it.

"Well Rory it's complicated basically it's ten years in your future, you probably came to relive past glories." Astrid said, a sigh escaping her lips as she looked off into the distance at the little version of her best friend. She grasped onto Rory's hand knowing just what would happen. Her best friend would die in pain after saving the Doctor and Amy wouldn't remember him. He would be erased from time and she wouldn't be able to stop it. She wouldn't be able to do anything because it was a fixed point in time. But … fixed points can be rewritten. Can't they? She hoped they could. She would not just stand there and watch as her best friend died and her own heart broke. She wouldn't stand there and do nothing when she knew what was going to happen. She was not going to let Rory get hurt. Rory was the only one who seemed to know who she was anymore. The only one she wasn't invisible to. She was strong emotionally, but she could not risk losing her best friend even if she did end up seeing him again a few episodes later. He was her personal timeline too just like Amy was. Amy would forget him so she would too. Astrid didn't think she could take that pain on her shoulders. What Astrid would later learn is that maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was.

"Humans, you're so nostalgic." The Doctor said turning to them, still rubbing his sore head where Astrid had hit him. He knew that she had a temper on her but what he should have thought about was how far back that temper went. He had seen her eyes glow but she didn't know it meant that she was angry at him. The thing was he didn't know why she was mad, he hadn't done anything wrong. The girl was so confusing! He would never understand her! Why did women have to be so confusing? Out of any species he had encountered in his long long life, women was always the most confusing species of all. Astrid being the leader of the confusing species. All she did was boggle his mind everyday twenty four seven, and the young version of her being no different.

"So are you Doctor dear." Astrid answered with a smirk on her face. She knew him just as much as he knew her and she knew without a doubt that he was nostalgic. She knew everything he did and would do, everything he hated and everything he loved, everything he would say and everything he had said. He was an open book to her and he even knew that. It scared him to be honest. She knew everything that would happen or has happened and it scares him to death. All he knew was what was to come for the young girl but she knew everything about him, even his deepest darkest secrets. And he knew that one day it would come with a cost.

"We're still together in ten years?" Amy questioned, finally joining them as they looked at the tiny versions of future Amy and Rory so far away from them. They looked happy and Amy liked to think that perhaps they were married by then. She didn't know what would happen in the future, would they have a family? Would they still be traveling with the Doctor? Would Astrid live with them? Amy was a very now and here sort of girl, but when she looked out and saw those two mini versions of her and Rory in the distance, she started to question everything.

"No need to sound so surprised." Rory said as his features turned into a hurt expression. Rory liked to think that they were married with a family and a nice house in Leadworth somewhere. But Amy seemed surprised that they were even still together in the future. What, did she expect them to divorce? Did she even dream of the kids that he wanted so much? Did she even want kids? It was so much for Rory to take in.

"Yeah Amy, Rory's a nice guy. Actually to be honest I quite liked him in my universe." Astrid added. She knew that Amy was only confused and Rory was reading too far into it like always. Amy didn't really think about what would happen in the future so with something like this where she sees her future she may start to question things. Rory on the other hand will take her question personally instead of just a question and he will start to worry that Amy doesn't want them to be together in the future. He just read into things instead of answering them which she seriously needed to help him to work on.

"See. Told you so!" Rory exclaimed, a now very happy expression on his face as he jumped up and down from excitement. She didn't really talk about her past much because it upset her, he had been there a few times when she bursted into tears after telling him about her old home. It was only ever when she was with him.

"Yeah, um ok. Hey, let's go and talk to them. We can say hi to future us. How cool is that?" Amy replied, looking in the distance as she pointed at them from the future. She started walking forward as to go over to them but Astrid knew that if she did manage to get over there it would get messy, and Astrid was not in the mood to clean up that mess. Astrid quickly, as to make sure the damage was avoided, snatched hold of Amy's arm, pausing her in her steps. Amy looked over at Astrid confused as to why she would have stopped her. It was nothing bad it was just going to say hi to them, and maybe possibly asking them what happened in the future.

"Er, no, best not. Really best not. These things get complicated very quickly, and oh look. Big mining thing. Oh, I love a big mining thing. See, way better than Rio. Rio doesn't have a big mining thing." The Doctor cut in, not even letting Astrid talk. This hurt Astrid a lot more than she was letting on. The Doctor was ignoring her even more now. It was like she didn't exist. Why was she here if all they were going to do was ignore her? What she wasn't aware of was that the Doctor was doing quite the opposite. In fact he had even agreed with her. In his mind all he wanted to do this adventure was impress her. He hadn't seen her in a while and he hadn't been able to impress her in an even longer time than that.

"Ooh fun!" Astrid added looking in the opposite direction now, where a large building stood next to a large machine. They both stared at it in awe watching the large machine as it stood there in all it's majesty. He knew that yet again he had managed to impress her and it placed a happy feeling on his heart. He knew that if he knew Astrid, which he did extremely well, then she was going to want to explore. She loved to explore even more so than him in fact. What she knew was that she was definitely wanted some adventure and so did he so there was not a doubt in her mind that they would be staying.

"We're not going to have a look, are we?" Amy pouted staring at the machine, knowing that it had ruined her day. She wanted to go to Rio. She was dressed for Rio. She was going to go to Rio, not freeze her backside off here! Why did Astrid and the Doctor always insist on exploring! It always got them very nearly dead and she was in no mood to die today, especially in front of her fiance. She was cold, bored, and annoyed and if this didn't get interesting soon she was gonna leave. Her definition of interesting was unfortunately very different than the universe's.

"Amy, I know that look, and if I know one thing about the Doctor I know we are going to check it out." Astrid said looking at the Doctor's expression. She knew that expression better than she knew the hairs on her head. It meant that unfortunately for Amy, they were not going to be leaving. Not for a good while.

"Astrid's right. Let's go and have a look. Come on, you lot, let's see what they're doing." The Doctor said just confirming her guess even more. The Doctor started to walk forward, Astrid staying to wait for the Ponds knowing that the Doctor would not. The Doctor was in an exploring mood and he would not stay there, when the adventure was clearly not there. The Doctor never looked back once to see if they were coming and he knew he never would. The Doctor doesn't look back because he can't. She understood that better than anyone.

"If he can't get us to Rio, how's he ever going to get us back home?" Rory asked Amy in a very sarcastic manner, upset at the timelord for a reason that neither of the two girls with him knew. He was upset because he didn't know if they would ever get home. Would they just always travel with the Doctor? It wasn't like he was eager to leave, he had Astrid there after all. She would never leave the Doctor, Rory knew that. Even if he begged and begged her to join them back in Leadworth she never would. Her love for the Doctor being too strong for her to even think of doing that.

"Did you not see over there? It all works out fine." Amy answered back with a smile. Knowing that the evidence spoke for itself. She knew the Doctor and if it really came to it, he would get them back safe and sound. She trusted him enough and he knew he would. She did not want to go home ever, she had a better life here. She saw things people would die to see. She had seen the stars a way no one had seen them before and she had seen monsters that no one knew existed. Sure she ran for her life a good once in awhile but she knew that she wouldn't give it up not for the whole of creation. But she knew she had to go back eventually. It was the sad truth and that was why she thought about the now and not the future. She knew she didn't want to know the what if's. She didn't like to question herself. But the more she thought about the future the more it made her question.

"If he didn't I would, don't worry about it Ponds." Astrid added, joining into the conversation as she looked at them with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her face. She knew that if the Doctor didn't get them back that all she would have to do was ask the Tardis and she would take them there for them. Knowing that the Doctor would get into trouble without her, she quickly ran to catch up with him. She was very glad at this moment that she had long legs, because with a few long strides she had caught up to her timelord. Rory and Amy watching as they walked further and further away from them.

"After everything we've seen, we just drop back into our old lives? The nurse and the kissogram?" Rory questioned with a roll of his eyes. Rory did want to go back to their old lives, but he knew in his hearts that traveling with the Doctor was something Amy loved and he was not going to be the one to take that from her. Besides he had to make sure nothing happened to Astrid, he seemed to have some sort of connection with her and he didn't want the young girl getting hurt. He promised himself the moment he met her that he would not let her get hurt, not ever. The day she had appeared out of nowhere he could see the pain in her eyes and he did not want to see that look ever again. The sad deary look had been haunting him in his mind since and he never wanted to see the terrible look on her face.

"I guess. They're getting away." Amy replied watching as Astrid in the Doctor were getting to point where Amy could not see them any longer. She went to turn and walk towards them, but Rory caught her hand in his tugging her to spin her around to face him. This only annoyed Amy further, not only were Astrid and the Doctor almost out of sight, but people kept tugging at her arms and hands and it was irritating her beyond words. It like she was doing one wrong thing after the other today!

"Hang on. What are you doing with that?" Rory said back to her looking down at her hand were a very pretty ring sat on her hand. After the incident with the Doctor where she almost kissed him she figured that if she kept it on she might gain some sense back and not kiss anybody else that wasn't her fiance. After all it sat on her hand and was a constant reminder that she was Rory's.

"Engagement ring. I thought you liked me wearing it?" She questioned him, knowing that he did in fact like people knowing that they were engaged and that she was his. She was confused. Back home he wouldn't let her take it off, even when she went to bed. What was any different with whether they were back in Leadworth or on an adventure in the Tardis? Did he suddenly not want them to get married because of what she had said? If that was the case she would definitely need to talk with him! She loved Rory! Even if she didn't necessarily show it in the best ways, she still loved Rory. When the Doctor left Rory was her Doctor. Rory is her Doctor even now. She loves him just like Astrid loves the Doctor. It was as plain as day and she would not lose him because of some silly comment she had said.

"Amy, you could lose it. Cost a lot of money, that." Rory answered back, in a very whiny manner. He knew Amy and he knew that on any sort of adventure with the Doctor she could and would lose it. And not only did it in fact cost a lot of money he also did not want her running around kissing guys because they thought she was free. He knew it was her reminder of sorts and she wasn't kidding when she said he liked her wearing it. He loved showing her off as the beautiful woman that he was going to marry. But he did not want her to lose it. If he didn't take it now she most certainly would lose it.

"Hmm. Spoilsport." Amy huffed as she took it off. She hadn't minded after all since she didn't really need it on, especially during these adventures. She didn't want to accidentally drop it or have an alien eat it or something weird like that, so she complied. She kind of liked the ring though it was very pretty so she hadn't minded keeping it on either. Truth be told she was rather upset that Rory had taken it no matter how much she told herself that she didn't. The ring told her the same thing night and day. She was Rory's and Rory's was hers. She honestly couldn't believe that she was going to be married to him. What did she ever do to deserve him? He was kind and sweet and he understood. Especially when she had messed up and kissed the Doctor. He had no idea what she had ever done to earn a man like him. All she had done was be so mean to him and all he had done in return was be kind and understanding back.

"Go on. I'll catch you up." Rory said back as he walked back towards the Tardis. He knew Amy just as well as she knew herself and he knew that Amy was upset that he had stopped her. He could see the irritation in her eyes and he knew that if she didn't let her go now it would only grow until it finally exploded all over him. He trusted that Astrid would keep Amy safe when he wasn't there, so he let her go herself. Amy immediately took off after the two trying her best to catch up with the Doctor and Astrid.

"Doctor! Astrid!" Amy called out of breath, trying to get them to stop as they walked on not even fazed by her shouting. She knew that the more they walked the more impossible it would be to catch up. She still ran on knowing she would catch up to the two eventually, even if she did pass out from exhaustion when she caught up.

* * *

Rory walked into the Tardis, a bounce in his step as he looked around for the small red case that would hold the engagement ring until they were done traveling with the Doctor. He knew Amy didn't want him to take it from her even though she had tried to convince him otherwise. He knew she loved that ring. He also knew it was because she couldn't quite believe that they were getting married. He could see it every time she looked down at the diamond on her hand that she was incredulous. It seemed to be her sort of reassurance that it was in fact going to happen. He couldn't even believe it! He was to be wed to the most beautiful, most amazing. most impossible woman in the universe. After all this time he had thought that she would never figure it out. He had a crush on her since they were seven after all. It had taken their friend Mels to finally push her that they finally got together, if Mels hadn't been there they probably would have never gotten together! Pushing his thoughts carefully to the side he reached across the Tardis console to reveal the ring case and he gently set the precious ring meant for his unbelievable redheaded fiancee into it. Sighing at the thought of her he spun on his heel and leisurely walked out of the Tardis. What he didn't expect was to surprisingly come face to face with a brunette woman in a purple silk tank top. Making Rory jump in fright not thinking that anyone had even lived there since it had been so quiet.

"Well, that was quick." the brunette woman said to the confused man that had just walked out of the box. She had to be honest she did not expect a bumbling idiot to come to her rescue, especially not that quick. He looked as if he didn't even know why he was there! She didn't even understand why they had sent such a confused man to solve such a serious case, he looked like he couldn't be serious even if the poor man tried. Not to mention, how did he even fit in such a small box? What was even in the thing it didn't even look like it could fit him! Oh well she got what she called for, she wasn't going to be bothered to send this guy back only for them to send another! She didn't know what she would get next and an idiot was better then nothing. Besides, it would take too long! Rory on the other hand was not as confused as she had thought. He was at first but now he was confident. He knew that the best way to get answers was to do what the Doctor always did. Improvise. And that was exactly what he was going to do. He knew from experience that it worked rather well.

"Was it?" Rory actually had no idea what the woman was talking about so he figured that asking a question wouldn't hurt. If he learned anything from the Doctor it was that question always were a plus, the right questions were even better. He knew that whenever the Doctor was confused he asked questions and it seemed to work enough for him so why would it be any different for Rory? The Doctor certainly got confused, that lot was true. He just didn't show it. Everyone always trusted him because they thought he knew what he was doing. Well, Rory did too for a while, but then Rory had told her a different story. She had told him that he did get confused but she loved him, all knowing or not.

"It's great that you came." The woman said snapping him out of his thoughts yet again. He really needed to stop dazing out like that, she would think she was some sort of idiot if he kept it up. This was the first time he had actually looked around at his surroundings, and it was the first time Rory noticed the young boy with brown curious eyes standing next to the woman. The boy looked excited too and he looked to be around Astrid's age. In fact the young boy reminded him of his best friend. A lot. And the fact that he was staring at the Tardis as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen did not help matters. Astrid love the Tardis, she even stroked bits of it and whispered things to it when she thought no one was watching. She looked at the Box just like this boy was, as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Bit retro. What is it, portable crime lab?" The young boy suggested, pointing out the tall blue police box Rory had walked out of. The boy knew it had to be too small to be anything else. It didn't have wheels which meant it couldn't be a car or transportation of any sort and the box said police box on it which meant that it had to do with solving mysteries. He loved anything that involved mysteries, in fact all he read were mysteries. Right now and right here was a mystery, a box that looked small and tiny and not capable of fitting anything inside, and a man that looked a bit dazed stepping out of the box as though he lived there. This was the second mystery today and so far it was like christmas to him. He would solve them, both of them. He loved a good mystery and this was a brain puzzler.

"Oh, er, sort of." Rory answered vaguely. So far he felt like he was really failing the whole don't make them suspicious act. He was never good at acting. Right now he just wanted to find out what was going on and high tail it outta there so he could get the Doctor, a man who actually knew what he was doing. The Doctor knew all about this sort of stuff and he would probably be able to figure it out in two minutes flat. Even Astrid knew what she was doing. She already knew. He had saw her face the moment the Doctor had said Rio and he knew that she had an idea of what was going on. She would have told him in a heartbeat if she was with him. If only Rory had asked her to stay. If he had maybe he wouldn't be in this confusing mess to begin with!

"Ambrose Northover. I was the one who called. I run the meals on wheels for the whole valley. This is my son, Elliot." The woman introduced as she smiled at the man in front of her, knowing that all her problems would be solved by the end of the day. Or at least she hoped. The man looked like he was out of it. Possibly doing drugs or drinking too much whisky. She didn't even know if he was capable of talking in complete sentences that weren't questions. All Ambrose had heard from the drunken man is questions and vague answers. She probably would have gotten a better answers from a donkey! She did not want her Eliot anywhere near this man, yet Eliot was not having any of that. All her son had done was look amazed at the box the man had come out of. It wasn't his fault though, Eliot loved mysteries and she saw that the box perplexed him. It was interesting. It was beautiful, he could give the odd man that. At least he traveled in style. But he was really starting to disgust her, this man better solve their mystery fast. She wanted him gone.

"Where's your uniform?" Elliot asked in a questioning manner. This boy was definitely Astrid, there was no doubt. Never content with an answer, and always questioning. It made Rory smile just a bit as he realised how similar his friend was to the young boy. They could have acted like brother and sister and it would have fooled him. Well except for the red hair though. Maybe when this whole adventure was over maybe he could have them meet. See what happens. Astrid was always saying that they needed more of her in the universe, maybe she had done something about that.

"Don't be cheeky, Elliot. He's plain clothes. CID, is it? Anyway, it's over here." She said guiding Rory over to whatever was going on. He knew that if the police were involved, especially the CID, it had to be something pretty bad that was going on. He was starting to get a bad feeling. Whatever this was it was not something that he was going to be able to solve. Astrid could. The Doctor could. Even Amy probably could. But not him. He had a feeling that this was gonna not gonna be normal stuff that they encountered every day. He could see it in the woman's eyes. This was the Doctor's territory. This was going to be extraterrestrial. He knew it would be, he just knew it.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Doctor, Amy, and Astrid, were walking closer and closer to the building with the mining machine. Astrid was walking hand in hand with the Doctor and Amy lagging behind from loss of energy from all the running she had done already. Astrid smiling ever so wide because she knew what they would find in the building. They were now standing at a metal gate with a big, bad lock placed on it. A sign above it that was barely big enough to be read.

"Restricted access. No unauthorised personnel. Hmm." The Doctor read aloud from the sign, plucking out his sonic screwdriver. His beloved sonic screwdriver. Astrid would get one eventually but now he could impress her with his beautiful machine. He sonicked the door open with a flick of his wrist and the lock fell to the dirty ground, opening the gate, allowing access to the building with the amazing machine.

"Well, it's not restricted for us of course." Astrid said, adding her two cents as she stared at the timelord with a smirk on her face. She simply loved when the Doctor did this sort of stuff, today being no exception. Especially with the sonic. It lit up her whole day and he could see that on her face. He was glad that she was still early because if she wasn't, he wouldn't be able to impress her. When he impressed her he made her smile and he yearned for the days where he made his Astrid smile. It made his hearts leap with joy and it made his eyes sparkle just a little bit more whenever he saw her smile. He was a man who had everything, seen everything, and knew almost everything, but that smile had to be the most beautiful thing he had seen, or knew in the whole entire universe combined. He never tired of seeing that smile and he never wanted to. It was his light that guided him home and it was the hope when he needed it the most.

"That is breaking and entering." Amy cut in the conversation, snapping him out of thinking of his wonderful Astrid. Amy knew that the Doctor was an alien but shouldn't he know the rules. Astrid could have even told him that it was breaking and entering. She was a human after all, she lived on earth all her life and she knew that this was obviously breaking the law. Something was wrong with Astrid she could feel it. Astrid hadn't talked to them at all the whole time they were walking and it was if she was ignoring them. The only evidence that showed her otherwise was the fact that she had been commenting on their conversations and holding the Doctor's hand. But she knew this was all due to the fact that she loved the Doctor. If Astrid hadn't she probably wouldn't be talking to them. The only person she actually had heart to heart conversations with was Rory. So why was she acting so odd around them? Why was she ignoring them?

"What did I break? Sonicking and entering. Totally different." The timelord answered Amy. He knew it was a law on earth and they were certainly on earth but he had used his sonic. Besides rules were meant to be broken. That's what Astrid always said to him after all! Well future Astrid, but he wasn't going to get picky. Astrid from the future was always breaking laws and rules wherever they went. She even had broken a fixed point before to save someone's life. No matter what he had told her she always broke the rules. Even his rules were broken once in awhile. She only broke rules to save lives and he admired her for that. They always argued about what she had done. That was almost always the reason they had fought before and she always stopped the arguments by telling him the same thing. Rules are meant to be broken, and laws are meant to bent. She always told him that. And maybe it was getting to him because he was starting to turn just as bad as her. Just to prove his own point, he held the gate open for the two ladies gesturing for them to go inside.

"Plus we can just lock it back up if we have to." Astrid explained to the other ginge as she walked in and past the other two. The Doctor knew that she was turning into her older self already. She was already telling Amy that to ease her conscience at doing something bad. She had gotten that part from him. The looking on the bright side and helping other people to look at things that way too. He always wondered where she had learned that but now he knew. It was him. She not only had bits and pieces of his friends but she had bits and pieces of him too, he was just too blind to see it. The way she hid all that pain, he could see it in her eyes. She was hurting even now but she was hiding it behind false laughter and happiness trying to direct people away from how she felt. He could see it now, he had done that trick millions of times. He would talk with her when this was all over, he would find out what was wrong. He would save her like she had saved him. He would console him like she had helped him through his hard times. But most of all he would be the friend she needed.

"Come on, then." Astrid commanded the Doctor. She never changed did she? Always telling him what to do and how to do it. The girl hasn't even made a dent in her timeline yet and she was already ordering the poor timelord around. He knew one thing she always got her feisty attitude from Donna, he even had caught Donna giving her some tips. But Amy was a whole 'nother cup of tea. She was the person always telling people what to do and now this was starting to get the Doctor to second guess himself. Amy was the person who had taught her that part. Donna gave her attitude, but Amy gave her a new spark to that. River had just added onto that never ending cycle and that was what turned her into hell in high heels. Those three had turned her into his Astrid and it made him terrified.

"You're sure Rory'll catch us up?" The Doctor questioned as they headed deeper inside of the building. Rory was so far behind them and he might get lost without them there. Rory was after all the only one that seemed to understand Astrid it seemed like. Without Rory he didn't know what she would do. Well, ok yes he did know her well enough. But this far back he couldn't tell. She was unpredictable and only Rory could predict what the unpredictable girl would do. Without Rory he was downright nervous at what the young Astrid would do, so Rory needed to get here and fast. She knew what was going on and mix that with how set on saving people she was there was no stopping her. Unless Rory got there.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Doctor, Rory stood at a dug up grave plot with a grimace on his face and curiosity now edging it's way into his eyes. He had the feeling that aliens were at work here but he didn't know how. The dirt looked like normal brown soil and the grass looked like normal green grass, and the graves looked like normal stone. Rory was at a loss. It wasn't like the woman and her son were behind it, they looked just as confused as he was. Why would they take him to an empty grave plot? Was it his grave plot and these two were really aliens that were going to push him in and bury him alive? Was the real alien inside? Did they have zippers or metal armor or something? Were they space fish or robots from some planet he never heard of before? Were they really here for the Doctor? But what confused him even more is why they looked so confused. Did they expect the Doctor and they got him so it confused them?

"It's a family plot, see. My aunt Gladys died six years ago. Her husband, Alun, died a few weeks back. He lived in the house two doors down. There's not many of us left up here now." Ambrose said, giving the man called Rory some background information on what had happened in her family. As sad as it was to talk about her now deceased Aunt she needed the man to solve their mystery so they could live in some peace again. Once this was figured out maybe Elliot would stop making such crazy assumptions and she would be able to have a normal family. Ever since this had begun he had been talking nonsense on how the graves were eating people. She needed it to stop and once this man told them a logical explanation it would. There was a perfectly normal explanation that did not involve something extraterrestrial. The man may look drunk and like a total idiot but he looked sane. He looked like an adult that could give him an explanation that didn't involve monsters or aliens. He was the CID after all, and you had to pass a test to get into there.

"Mum, he doesn't care about that. He wants to know about the dead bodies." Elliot the young boy told his mother, tugging on her sleeve to get her attention. Elliot was a boy of imagination, and Rory could clearly see that because Astrid was very much the same in that aspect. If he was worried about something Rory knew he needed to find out and fix it. If it was something weird like alien fish or a weird dust that made them kill themselves well he would just run for the Doctor and tell him what happened. Let him solve the problem. But right now he had the urge to save this young boy that reminded him of his best friend. He needed to, it was necessary. If Astrid was scared he would do everything in his power to save her, and this young boy just reminded him so much of her that he wanted to take away the fear as fast as he could.

"Yes. Sorry. Well, they always wanted to be buried in the same plot, together. But when we went to bury Uncle Alun, Gladys wasn't there. Gone. Body, coffin, everything." Ambrose continued to explain with frustration written on her face. If this man that called himself Rory couldn't find out what happened she didn't know what she would do. This man was his only hope and she bloody hoped that he could tell her what happened. This idiot had better have an answer or else she was gonna sue the CID. Police or not. This was a serious problem. A body missing from a grave! That was pretty serious! If it was grave robbers or high school kids from another town she wanted them caught. No funny business. Especially not when her Aunt's body was missing! A whole body that meant a whole lot to her.

"What?" Rory asked confused. He knew it was an alien but these people seemed concerned about the grave. His hypothesis that they were the aliens was slowly failing and that meant that he did not know what was going on. Again. He began toeing the dirt as if it would hurt him, not too sure what was going happen now. He had no idea what was going on … disappearing bodies? What had he gotten himself into? This was more the Doctor's kind of stuff, he didn't know anything about it! Should he go for help? Get the Doctor perhaps? Should he stay and investigate even though he had no idea what to do. He was pretending to be CID and they knew what to do. He didn't! His cover would be blown if he investigated. Should he take that risk just to save this young boy like he said he would? He would stay he knew it in his heart that he was too kind to just walk away without trying to help. He wanted the boy to stop being afraid and he was going to help whether his cover got blown or not. He would help, he would! Just watch him save them. He'd seen the Doctor do it often enough.

"The mad thing is, on the surface, the grave was untouched. No signs of it having been messed with." The woman informed Rory, snapping him out of his trance like thinking state. Now Rory was certain that it was aliens. The woman had just proved it. The grave was untouched on the top so that means that grave robbers were out of the question. Unless of course it was really really good grave robbers, but in a place like this he highly doubted that would be the case. He needed more information, if he was going to solve this he needed more facts. He had narrowed it down already, but he had very limited knowledge. He only knew of three alien species at the most because of what he had seen. And that would not do him much good when push came to shove. If only he had the Doctor's or Astrid's brain. Then he would know what was going on. Yeah he knew he kept complaining and saying stuff like that but he really did want their help. He was having second thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand." Rory stated, not even sure of where to start. A body was missing but no one had touched it? Something smelled fishy. What type of alien would steal a body of all things. If they were just stealing it to send a message then he certainly got it. This was starting to scare him bit like bit and he understood why this boy was so terrified. This was all Amy's fault. She wore her ring and he had to take it back. Look where it got him! Confused, scared and wanting to get the hell out of there. She owed him and big time, he didn't like this one little bit.

"Nobody has touched the grave since my aunt was buried. But when they dug it open, the body was gone. How is that possible?" Ambrose asked, wanting answers on what was going on and fast. Rory shifted from foot to foot. He knew what he had to do and it was not going to be fun. He was going to have to get dirty and he may even be abducted by an alien. Not like he wasn't already. The Doctor had after all stolen him from his stag night. He wished the Doctor was here. Then he wouldn't have to. This was so not going to be big on dignity. Not at all. He hoped he found the Doctor soon, he did not like pretending like he knew stuff. It was exhausting! Everything about this was tiring. He hoped at least the Doctor and the two girls were having fun because he sure was not.

* * *

"What about now? Can you feel it now?" The Doctor asked the other two as they walked further into the building. The feeling was getting stronger and stronger with each step for him and Astrid. He knew why Astrid felt it. He could tell that she could feel it still and he knew why too. Not only was the Tardis part starting to kick in but it was starting. She would be his girl soon and then her journey would begin. He had already noticed that her eyes had glowed dully a few times already. He had also noticed when **it** had started. The only thing he had to wait for now was her to turn into his. She looked like she was scared and appalled that she was even feeling it.

"It's even stronger here." Astrid added. She knew what was going to happen, after all it was a show she loved from her universe. But what confused her is why she felt it? She was a human just like Amy so why could she feel things she shouldn't? Only the Doctor was supposed to feel this odd feeling. It was scaring her. She was so confused and that hardly ever happened. She wanted to know what was going on. Her eyes burned her when she was angry, her head and chest hurt so much at night when she was sleeping, and her blood coursed through her so fast it left her sore. She had chalked it up to not sleeping well but now she wasn't so sure. Now she felt things that only the Doctor should. What was wrong with her?

"Honestly, I've got no idea what you're on about." The confused Amy announced as they walked forward. The Doctor she could understand but Astrid was acting just a bit too odd for her liking. She seemed off to Amy. It was like she wasn't exactly … her. Not only did she seem too scared but it looked like she was confused about something. Why could Astrid feel this weird thing that she couldn't? The way the Doctor had explained it Astrid from the future is not normal and she saw and felt things we didn't. Astrid also looked a little upset, did she know what was going to happen? Could she tell them? Why was the ground "different?"

"The ground doesn't feel like it should." The Doctor explained to Amy. The Doctor had forgotten that although Amy was special because of that crack in her wall, she was also still human. She wasn't able to feel the same way that they did. Time Lords have very sensitive hearing as well as extremely sensitive touch. He could hear a whisper from millions of feet away and he could feel things from millions of yards underground. Astrid was just a little bit different. She was her own type of species, her own type of amazing. She was special and it was one of the reasons he absolutely loved her!

"It's off somehow … I can't pinpoint it exactly." Astrid agreed. She knew what was wrong and she really hated keeping secrets. Well, ok that was a lie. She had so many secrets and she would probably have many more in the future. She had to lie to them, if she didn't she would be letting spoilers slip and not only could that potentially ruin the universe it would also make the Doctor very upset. She sounded like River now geez. All these spoilers and lying and stuff. At least her time line was linear and not this one big giant mess.

"It's ten years in the future. Maybe how this ground feels is how it always feels." Amy answered. She knew that although they thought they were geniuses, sometimes, just sometimes, they missed the obvious. Like Astrid had told her before, the world is always changing. So maybe it had in fact changed to the point that in ten years the ground felt different.

"Good thought, but no, it doesn't. Hear that, drill in start-up mode. Afterwaves of a recent seismological shift and blue grass." The Doctor explains, listing why Amy suggestion, although a smart one, was not a correct assumption. He took out a few pieces of the grass and stuck them onto his tongue, to immediately spit it back out. Astrid, thinking it gross crinkled up her nose and her face set into a horrified expression. There was no argument. The Doctor was just plain disgusting. Poor Doctor probably didn't even realise how odd he seemed to other people, he probably just thought it normal.

"Oh, please. Have you always been this disgusting?" Amy questioned, staring at the weird timelord with a smile on her face. She knew the Doctor. Not as well as Astrid and she certainly never would. But she knew him and he was never dumb enough to do the same sort of thing twice. Unless of course it was to prove a point, and the only point he seemed to be proving is that he is gross.

"Yes, yes he has always been disgusting." Astrid answered before the Doctor could. A smile now on her face as well. She knew him, basically better then he knew himself which was a pretty scary thought. But she knew him and she knew that in every single regeneration he had done something gross at one point or another. It just couldn't be helped. He was like a child and children did gross things sometimes. Which reminds her … she was going to have to give him lessons in etiquette. Always barging into rooms and breaking things and eating things that would never be considered food.

"No, No I have not, that's recent." The Doctor said glaring at Astrid. He knew that she thought he was gross and like a child. Future her even had told him that. Oh future Astrid, he didn't know what had given her the idea but she had been training him in etiquette ever since she showed up in his past. Whacking him on the head if he was rude, awarding him with kisses. He felt like a pet! He didn't mind the reward but still the whackings hurt!

"What's in here?" The Doctor continued, walking to two red doors that looked very old. Astrid knew. Of course she did. The Doctor could see it in the way she kept looking away from their eyes. Like he said, he knew Astrid and whenever she was lying she always looked away from their eyes thinking they would judge her. He understood why she had to lie. If she didn't she would let a spoiler slip and she was scared of that. She hated foreknowledge, he knew that from that one terrible night. Oh he knew.

"Hello." The Doctor said to the Lady looking at a computer screen. He didn't expect people to be in here but another pair of eyes was great. He always loved more eyes to help him find out what was going on and she looked nice enough. The more the merrier as Astrid would say. Astrid always did love a good gang didn't she.

"Who are you? What're you doing here? And what're you wearing?" The woman wearing a pair of glasses asked. The woman had never seen anyone come to this place before, not strangers. And even if they did they would never even consider breaking into here. These people were strange to say the least. A man in a bowtie, a woman wearing clothing way too short for this sort of weather, and a young girl with brown eyes that sparkled with stars it looked like she carried the universe in her eyes.

"I dressed for Rio." Amy answered with a very bored expression and a roll of her eyes. What the woman had said had certainly rubbed in the fact that they were not in Rio. It made Amy even more upset that they weren't in Rio. Why couldn't they have landed in the right place? She wanted to land in Rio! If Astrid from the future were here she could have got them there. Astrid from the future knew how to drive and she actually landed in the right place. So why couldn't the Doctor be more like her?

"And I dressed for Rio too even though I already knew this was gonna happen! The cold doesn't bother me anyways. I love the cold!" Astrid proclaimed, smiling a madman smile. It was true though, she wasn't bothered. Back at home no matter how crazy it sounded, she left the air conditioner on, no matter what the weather. She knew it was insane and just a little bit stupid but she couldn't help it. For some reason she didn't get cold as easily and she just loved the blast of coldness seeping into her skin. It left her refreshed even if she couldn't feel it.

"Ministry of Drills, Earth and Science. New Ministry, quite big, just merged. It's lot of responsibility on our shoulders. Don't like to talk about it. What are you doing?" The Doctor asked, smiling at the way Astrid was acting. Even as a younger kid she acted like a total madwoman. But that was ok because he was just as mad. He was the madman that stole a box and ran away. But she … she was the madwoman who stole both of his hearts and ran away. She refused to accept that she had stolen both hearts though, when she claims she stole only one. She had always told him he had two hearts for a reason. One to love his Tardis and One to love her.

"None of your business." The woman answered rather coldly. The woman knew that any ministry on their back was no good news at all and it meant trouble for them all. No one except her family and the workers knew what was going on and if people from the ministry were trying to snoop around now … that was just plain bad. What they were doing, in the ministry's eyes would seem illegal and she did not want to be shipped off to jail for turning her dream into a reality, that was for sure.

"Where are you getting these readings from?" The Doctor asked looking at a screen with curious eyes. He knew that they were coming from somewhere and it could quite possibly lead them to what was going on. Astrid carefully walked over to the timelord peering over his shoulder to get a look at the screen as well, a very perplexed look on her features. He knew that look and he knew it well, future Astrid got it all the time. It meant that whatever was going on was the cause of the ground feeling weird.

"Yeah these readings are odd." Astrid said looking at the screen, baffled. She was not baffled because of what she had seen, she was surprised because she could even read it. She was never a sciencey type of person and she was not an adult either. She felt weird, her head felt weird when she was looking at that. She didn't like this feeling, it was the feeling you would get from spinning on a chair for too long and then trying to focus on one area immediately after. It was like spinning in circles until you couldn't stay up any longer. It was as if a headache and dizziness were fighting it out in her brain and it hurt. It was an external force pushing it's way down on her skull. She had this feeling every day before she went to bed and it made her cry herself to sleep every time. It hurt so much the pain was almost unbearable. She hadn't told Rory yet in fear of him worrying himself to death, but now it was too late. After today she wouldn't have anyone to talk to that understood her.

"The readings from under the soil." The woman answered them finally. She was hesitant to answer them considering they were from the ministry. But as long as they didn't know why they were digging under the soil they would be fine. Besides just the way they talked she seemed to trust them. She didn't quite understand it herself but she was starting to doubt they were even from the ministry. I mean there was a kid with them. A KID! Even if she was a really smart kid, she really did not think she would have a job, a job for a ministry no less.

"The drill's up and running again. What's going on? Who are these people?" A man that had come out from a side room asked. These people had no right to come in here, not one bit. Especially with what had occurred overnight. They looked odd, really odd from his perspective. A man with no sense of style, A woman with no sense at all, and a younger child with the stars in her eyes.

"Amy, the Doctor, Astrid. We're not staying, are we, Doctor?" Amy answered in a bored way as she leaned against a yellow forklift. She really did not want to stay, especially now that she was a walking icicle with no idea what was going on. She knew if she asked Astrid she would either get an answer that turned out to be a lie, or no answer at all since the foreknowledge seemed to be scaring the wits out of the poor child. And if she asked the Doctor she would get a vague answer that would in reality answer nothing.

"Why's there a big patch of earth in the middle of your floor?" The Doctor asked, now on the floor by a giant hole of dirt. He knew that there was something he was missing. Something just on the tip of his tongue. But he didn't know what it was. He was missing the obvious and was really starting to bug him. Giant hole in building, giant hole made up of dirt. Readings that seemed to mean that the ground feels wrong, and blue grass not seen on earth for millions upon millions of years. Something was wrong and he was going to find out what.

"You aren't digging in the building too are you silly? You know that you won't find anything that way right?" Astrid added, a smile on her face as she laughed at her own joke. The Doctor smiling up at her with a sparkle in his eyes. She was always trying to lighten the mood when something serious was going on and it made him smile every time. She was always so kind hearted and he always wondered how she had not broken down yet. But now he knew. She did break down. Just not when anybody was around. She broke down when nobody was there, she broke down on her own and he was going to fix that starting today.

"We don't know what happened. It just appeared overnight." The woman said to the trio, looking at them with a very curious gaze. She was just as much as an adventurer as this lot was and she knew now that they were not a ministry. Not at all. They all had that dreaming like sparkle in their eyes that she would get when thinking of her life's work. They were adventurers not a snotty ministry trying to send her to jail. Now she was sure that she could trust them.

"Good. Right. You all need to get out of here very fast." The Doctor answered, speaking as though the building would set on fire any minute. He glanced over at Astrid. He did not want her getting hurt, and if he was right, and he usually was. Danger was going to appear any minute and he needed to get her out, now.

"Why?" The woman asked, her tone surprised. This man had lied to her, yes she could trust him, but not only did he lie he was telling her to leave her life's work behind as if the whole thing was going to go up in flames any moment. She was not going to leave her job just because some mystery man called the Doctor and his two lady friends had told her to. She was not that kind of person. She was a scientist and she would need a valid reason to leave.

"What's your name?" The Doctor asked her. He could tell that this woman really cared about staying here, and she was very adamant about it too. He knew he needed to tell her the cold truth no matter how insane it sounded. After all he was quite the madman himself. He was also a man of science and he could tell that she was too. She wanted a reason why and he would give it to her.

"Nasreen Chaudhry." The woman named Nasreen answered back. She had no idea where this was going but she trusted this man. If he asked her her name there had to be a reason for it. If not, he just had really bad timing when it came to introductions. The gears were turning in her head and she could not figure this man out even when she tried.

"Look at the screens, Nasreen. Look at your readings. It's moving." The Doctor remarked, looking at the screen once again. He could tell that something was wrong and he wanted them out and as soon as possible. He did not want Astrid getting hurt, not this early in her timeline. Not if he could help it. He did not like to see her in pain and he wouldn't, because just this once he was going to make sure that she didn't do anything stupid.

"It's moving up just so you know. Like towards us. Which means let's get our behinds outta here." Astrid told them as she gestured towards the door. She knew that what was coming was not friendly and she did not want to stick around. She was going to get her butt out of there and made sure that they left too. She was not going to keep a timelord in here with an angry alien that looked like a lizard. No siree.

"Hey, that's specialised equipment. Get away from it." The man scolded as he tried to slap the Doctor's hand away from the computer. He knew that these people were strangers and he also knew that these scanners had cost him thousands. If they broke them it would cost him another few thousands to fix. It always came down to money didn't it. While the others had been talking, Amy had approached the hole of dirt. From where she was standing, it seemed to be giving off a weird white sort of steam or smoke or something, and it made her just a little less bored and just a tad bit more scared.

"What is?" Nasreen asked with just a touch of fright in her voice. To be as truthful as she could, she was terrified. In fact she was horrified. She had no idea what was going on and it was scaring her to death. This Doctor needed to explain himself more because she did not understand him, not one bit. How could something be coming to the surface? That was impossible. There was nothing under the ground except for dirt, rocks, and some gravel here or there. Not anything like he was talking about.

"Doctor, this steam, is that a good thing?" Amy chimed in. Staring at the smoke as more and more seeped out of the hole. She knew that this stuff was dangerous. It was dangerous and it was going to hurt them, she could feel it. She just knew it would.

"Not really. It's shifting when it shouldn't be." Astrid added, watching as it billowed over the edge of the hole. She remembered this part, but she could not remember what was going to happen after this point. All she could remember is that something bad happened but what? She knew it wasn't the aliens coming out of the earth because she knew that happened later on. But for the life of her she just could not remember what happened before the Doctor met up with Rory. What was she missing?!

"What shouldn't?" Nasreen asked with an unsure tone. Something was wrong now. She could hear it in their tones. What was going to happen that had them all upset? The smoke confused her too … how could it be smoking out of a patch of dirt? Was it special effects or a fog machine or something? She thrown off her thoughts when a large rumble almost threw her off her feet.

"The ground, the soil, the earth, moving. But how? Why?" The Doctor acknowledged. He knew that the earth was moving and by the look on Astrid's face she knew why too. She looked terrified like something was going to happen. It was like she didn't even want to know what was going on. She looked as white as a sheet and it made him upset to know that she was that scared of whatever was going on. He wanted to stop that fear in her eyes. He loved her and he hated to see her this scared. She hardly ever got scared and he knew that this was serious. He was going to save her from that fear. There was no question. He would.

"Earthquake?" Amy suggested, hope glazing her eyes. She knew it would never be anything normal like that after traveling with the Doctor but it was worth a shot after all. She was a dreamer and a hoper and she was as sure as hell going to be an optimist even though she wasn't usually. This was a special case after all.

"Good guess but no Amy, it's worse." Astrid mumbled as she looked at the hole that was making her shiver. Even if she didn't know what was going on at the moment for some reason, she still knew that what was happening was not an earthquake. That was certain. There was no way an earthquake would cause a smoking hole filled with dirt.

"What's going on?" The man asked. He had no idea what was going on and on top of that a hole in the floor was smoking. He had a feeling that the man in the bowtie had an idea of what was going on as well as the young lady with the bright starry eyes, and he had the strangest urge to trust them. He knew that Nasreen trusted them, and if that beautiful woman did he knew that he should too. If it lead them to find out whatever was going on, well then he would trust them till his dying breath.

"Astrid's right because it's only happening under this room." the Doctor whispered as he looked around, trying to find out the cause of what was going on. He knew that it all lead back to those drill readings they had seen on the computer, but how? Quite suddenly to snap him out of his thoughts, two more holes popped out of the building floor as if it had an idea of where they were. Then three more holes of earth followed suit. It seemed impossible and a little bit silly, but maybe the ground was fighting back. Maybe the drill being pounded into the earth caused it to fight back. Maybe the ground was being hurt and it wanted revenge.

"It knows we're here. It's attacking. The ground's attacking us." The Doctor shouted, now trying to keep a very close eye on Astrid. She was not going to get hurt. If she got hurt he would never be able to forgive himself. She was his everything in the future, the one thing that kept him moving. She was the reason he fought death, the reason that he laughed at his own funeral. The reason that he had kept Amy as a companion. If Astrid had been there he wouldn't had even crashed into Amy's garden. He never would have saved the girl with a crack in her wall and shown her the stars. Astrid might not have even existed if he wouldn't have met Amy. It was all a domino effect. But if he lost her, or even hurt her, her future would cease to exist.

"No, no that's not possible." Nasreen shouted, staring at the holes of earth surrounding them. She was scared beyond belief now and the only ones that had made sense the whole time was the Doctor and the young girl, Astrid. She needed answers and they had them. It hurt her to say it but the way that the Doctor was looking at her now, it seemed like perhaps this was her fault. The reason that this was happening was all her doing. But it couldn't be could it?

"As a good man once said, It's not impossible just highly improbable." Astrid announced looking at Nasreen with sadness in her eyes. She knew that this amazing woman was going to do great things. She knew what happened at the end of this story and she knew that Nasreen was going to stay below the earth for the man she loved. It was a beautiful thing and it was something that she would certainly do for her amazing timelord if she had to. Nasreen was what she would strive to be, the person who laid down everything for the man that she loved. What she didn't know, but what the Doctor had already seen was that she was that person already.

"Under the circumstances, I'd suggest, run!" The Doctor said as more holes started to appear closer and closer to them. He knew that this was why Astrid wanted to leave earlier. He was so stupid! He should have listened to Astrid when she had said it the first time and gotten them all to Safety! He was not the hero like Astrid made him out to be if he couldn't even save a few people from holes of dirt. Very suddenly, cutting him off from his thinking, The man that they had yet to find out the name of got his foot stuck in one of the holes.

"Tony!" Nasreen yelled. She loved that man and if he got hurt, well she didn't know what she would do. Tony Mack helped her achieve her dream and she slowly but surely had fallen in love. She would do anything for that man. She certainly was going to save him and risk her own safety. Nevermind what could possibly happen to her.

"Stay back, Amy, Astrid. Stay away from the earth." The Doctor warned them, looking over at Astrid pleading with her not to do something rash like try to save the man that was now slowly sinking into the hole. His eyes begging her not to act stupid just this once. He knew her and the look in her eye told him that she was ready to do something that could kill her. Just this once let her be smart enough to not do something like that. Give him just this once. While he was thinking, a person leaped gracefully over a hole, heading over towards the man. But it was not Astrid like he thought it would be. It was Amy. As Amy was consoling the man and trying to rescue him, a dirt hole opened up beneath her feet sucking her in. Begging her to fall into it.

"It's pulling me down." Amy shouted, as it sucked her deeper into it. Amy was scared there was no doubt about it. She did not want to die like this. Death by earth was not what she wanted on her grave. She was beyond scared that there was no hope for her. But what scared her most of all was that Astrid knew. She knew and yet she had kept her mouth quiet. She knew that she was going to get hurt and she didn't give her a warning or anything. Some friend she was.

"God I forgot about this part." Astrid said as she mentally cursed at herself for forgetting such a crucial part of the episode. She knew that something happened to Amy but she dumb enough to forget what. She was such an idiot, if she wanted to make a change to the episodes she needed to stop acting like an idiot and actually use her all knowing power to save some lives. Astrid quickly ran over to Amy avoiding the holes as best as she could. She grabbed Amy's hands and pulled with all her might, with all she could possibly give to try and save her from the terrible fate that waited for her under the earth. Tears now streaming down her face from the effort. Even if she couldn't save Rory from death later on she was going to save Amy. She would. She did not want to stand by and do nothing. Not when her friend was hurt. Nothing would stop her from saving Amy. Finally with a final effort she yanked on Amy's arm. Her eyes glowing a golden color as she gave a final tug. She dug her feet into the ground to give her more momentum, not wanting to lose Amy, not wanting her to get hurt. To her relief Amy was released from the earth's grip, and not in jeopardy of falling under the earth. She went to walk away but something stopped her. She looked down in horror to see that she was now standing in a hole of earth. She was the one now sliding slowly into the earth where aliens were waiting for her. She was the one that was going to save Ambrose's husband.

"Something's got me now. Doctor, help me I really don't wanna go down there." Astrid whimpered, her eyes terrified. She was so afraid of what was down there. She knew that everything worked out in the end but she was scared of how it would change with her there. She didn't like this at all.

"Doctor, the ground's got her legs." Amy said in disbelief and horror. Astrid had forgotten, Amy could see that now. She had forgotten. She hadn't been withholding information, she hadn't even remembered herself. Astrid had saved her. Saved her and got herself stuck. Astrid had risked her own life to save her. To be honest this was the second time that Astrid had saved her. Future Astrid had saved her from dying once, a couple adventures ago, when it was just her and the Doctor. What terrified her the most though was not that she was stuck and almost dead, she knew that the Doctor would stop at nothing to save Astrid. What if she tried to do it again?

"I've got you Astrid, don't let go." The Doctor told her fearfully, grasping at her hand in fear of letting her go. The Doctor knew that something like this would happen. It always did. Astrid would do something dumb and get herself hurt in the process. But he wouldn't let anything happen to her this time. Not today. She had gotten hurt so much in the future that the sight of her had hurt him too. He would not let her sink into the earth where she could die. Not when he didn't know what was under there. All he was thinking about was his Astrid and trying to keep her from going under. So he didn't even register Nasreen setting the man free from the hole in the ground. He was focused on his love. His girl. His Astrid.

"Don't let go. Please. Don't you dare let go of me." Astrid said with remorse, her eyes flashing a dark blue glow as tears streamed down her face, and pain edged into her voice. She had done something stupid and it had cost her. She was glad to say that it was worth it. Amy was worth saving. Now she would never be able to even try to save Rory. Now he was a goner for sure and it was all her stupid fault for getting hurt. Now she would face the consequences.

"I won't let go. Never. I'm going to save you Astrid. I promise, you are not going to fall into that soil." The Doctor said, watching as her eyes glowed blue and tears trickled down her face in an intricate pattern, highlighting her beautiful face. He was never going to let go. He loved her. He was not going to lose his love.

"I don't want to go." Astrid whispered just loud enough for the Doctor to hear. He knew just how bad this was for her, how terrifying this must be for such a young girl. Especially one who knew everything. The Doctor did not like to see her like this. Tears in her eyes and trying to hold them back as she pleaded with the Doctor, begging him to save her. She was having a mental breakdown and she was freaking out, which did not help matters in the least. He needed to calm her down, or the problem would be get worse, fast.

"Stay calm. Keep hold of my hand. Don't let go. Your drill Nasreen, shut it down. Go. Now!" She told the two adults that were standing off to the side watching them. He had connected all the dots a few minutes prior and he knew that once the drill was shut down then the earth would stop attacking. Then Astrid could get free and she would be safe in his arms once again. She would be safe. And that was all he could ask for.

"You'll be safe soon Astrid. I promise. Oh god this is all my fault." Amy said with guilt seeping into her voice. Astrid was hurt and in tears, and from what the Doctor had told her she never broke down. NEVER. If she was breaking down now it was not something good. Astrid would die for all Amy knew. Amy was pacing with worry on her brow and a frown on her face. She was worried and she was not going to stop being worried until Astrid was safe in the Doctor's arms.

"Astrid, try and stay calm. If you struggle, it'll make things worse. Keep hold of my hand." The Doctor said with determination. Astrid was not going under that soil. If he hadn't been so dumb she wouldn't have even touched it. She was going to stay with him, she was not going to die. He wouldn't allow it. Not today and not ever.

"I'll never let go, just promise me that you won't." Astrid whispered to the timelord. She would not let go of him. She loved him. She was not going under that soil. If she hadn't been so stupid in the first place she wouldn't have even touched it. She would be safe in her timelord's arms. She was going to stay with her timelord. Not go under the soil with a bunch of lizard aliens that wanted to experiment on her. She wouldn't allow it. Even if Madame Vastra was really nice, she didn't trust this batch of Homo Reptilia. Not today and not ever.

"I'm not going to let you go. I promise Astrid." The Doctor whispered back to her. As if the universe had heard him, a giant rumble shook the building again causing the Doctor's grip to falter. Until finally they were holding hands no longer, and the Doctor had rolled a few feet away from her. When the rumbling finally stopped the Doctor in a panic to get back to the now almost fully covered Astrid, rushed to her side. The dirt now covering everything except for her head. The tears falling from her eyes swirling with the dirt creating mud.

"Doctor, it's pulling me down. Something's pulling me." Astrid announced. She knew that now it was too late. Even if the Doctor was holding on to her, she was almost completely buried. She was not going to be rescued and she would have to come to terms with that. She was going under the ground where Silurians waited to rip her open. She could do nothing else. Her strength was gone and so was her fighting spirit. She was a goner. She had given up.

"Stay calm. Now, hold on till they can just shut down the drill." The Doctor comforted Astrid. He knew that she had given up hope. He could see it by the way she looked at him. She was thinking the realistic way and he could see that. She was giving up hope and he knew it. He knew he should just let her go and see what happens, but he couldn't. His hearts were telling him to keep fighting for her. To keep trying to save her when there was no way that she could be saved. He was hopeful that she could be saved. His hearts could not take a direct hit from her. He couldn't take it.

"I can't hold on! It hurts Doctor. It hurts so much. I feel so much pain." She whimpered to him. Her eyes were burning her and her hearts were clenching with fear. Her whole body ached from head to toe and she just felt so tired.

"Astrid, concentrate. Don't you give up. Not you. Don't give up on me." The Doctor answered just as heartbroken as she was. He knew what she was going through and he hated it. His hearts were slowly breaking at the sight of her. He was convinced that she was dead and she hadn't even fallen into the hole yet.

"Doctor I …" Astrid told him, ready to confess her love for the timelord from Gallifrey. It was the last thing he heard before she disappeared totally under the dirt of the earth. The last thing he saw was the beautiful eyes of the one he loved. The last thing he felt was his own heart breaking in two. She was gone. His Astrid was gone. His girl. His amazing girl. Astrid was gone. Astrid was dead.


	4. Ch 4: Hungry Earth Pt 2

No. Astrid! Astrid, no! The Doctor screamed down at the pile of sunken in dirt. He Couldn't believe it. She was gone. She was never going to come back. For all he knew she was dead down there. She was too young, too early in her timeline. It meant that he never met her. She never would turn into his love now. His Astrid. It was all his fault too. He should have listened! He should have stopped her from being stupid. It was all his fault. He was stupid and worthless. Astrid didn't deserve anyone like him anyways. He always got her hurt. It was always his fault. Everything that happened to her was all his fault. He had lead her straight to her death just like he had done to all his other friends. He always lost them all, because of himself.

"No please … This is all my fault." Amy pleaded as she knelt down and dug into the soil where Astrid had been. She was desperate. She needed to try and save Astrid. Astrid had saved her. Astrid had killed herself to save her. Worthless old her. If she hadn't been so self absorbed maybe she would have been able to stop Astrid. Astrid was the Doctor's reason for living. Amy had gone and taken that away from him. The way Amy saw it, Amy had literally killed Astrid. Not the Ground. Her. She had taken the life of a child and now Amy wouldn't be able to look at herself. She had turned into a monster. She had killed her friend.

"No! No! No! No! No. No! No. No. No. No." The Doctor yelled out in frustration, tears streaming down his cheeks. His screwdriver scanning the soil for any sign of life and revealing nothing. He rarely ever cried, but she had turned him into this. She had shown him his own heart long ago. She had shown him how to love again. She had shown him that nothing lost is ever truly lost. No matter how dark the situation seemed there was always a bright side to things. It was on of the many reasons he loved her. But she was lost now. She was gone forever. His own little rant seized when a concerned looking Nasreen and the man from before ran in. Watching the scene before them with confusion in their eyes.

"Where is she?" The woman asked with hope in her tone, a hope that broke the Doctor just a little bit more. There was no point in false hope. He already knew that whatever had happened, she was dead. She already had known what was going to happen. She had looked so scared to go under the soil. She looked terrified, like whatever was under the ground was a horror beyond horrors. He rarely had ever seen her scared before, and if she was scared it had to be bad. It had to be like death. She was most certainly dead.

"She's gone forever. The ground took her." The Doctor announced, looking at the woman with such a heartbroken frown that it made her cry.

* * *

Rory was regretting his decision. Big time. Right now in this moment of time he was standing in a gross hole of dirt meant for a dead person, and he was trying to figure out what happend to said dead person. This was one thing he was never going to do again. Rory was going to stick to acting like an idiot, not solving cases.

"Do you want sugar?" The boy, Elliot, asked Rory. Rory and Elliot had become fast friends since their meeting. Rory had learned that he was twelve years old, only two years younger than Astrid. He also found out that the kid had dyslexia which made him take a liking to audio books more so than print.

"No. Just white, thanks." He replied to the boy. Ever since he had agreed to help them, their mother had been awfully kind. Not only did she make Rory tea, but she had offered to make him some lunch, offered him a muffin, and offered to pay in advance. He had said no to everything but she had kept insisting until finally he stopped her at tea.

"There's only one explanation, as far as I can see." Elliot told him with a smile. The little boy looked like he had told people that before. Maybe he had, and maybe they just didn't believe him. He was only a little kid after all. He looked proud, as if maybe just maybe he had solved it all already. He wouldn't put it past the boy. He was a really smart kid and he certainly looked like he could solve something as simple as finding a lost body. Rory wanted to know. Perhaps Elliot had solved it and Rory wouldn't have to do any more poking around in the earth. He sure hoped so, he was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

"What's that, then?" Rory asked him with curiosity atop his tongue. The boy smiled at him, glad that he wanted to hear what he had to say. Elliot had told his parents what he had thought and her mother had told him he was being ridiculous. His father had even tried to pass it off as dreams! At least Rory was going to listen, he was nice and he wouldn't tell him that he was being delusional.

"The graves eat people. Devour them whole, leaving no trace." Elliot told Rory. A sparkling smile on his face as he did. There was no other explanation, not only was the whole body gone, but the whole casket was too. It was not a grave robber because they only pilfered from graves, they didn't take the whole casket, body included, and risk getting caught. So it couldn't have been a person. It must be the grave itself.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Rory asked the young boy. He understood where Elliot was coming from. It didn't look like the work of grave robbers since there wasn't any people around here to steal caskets. Plus, it was extremely unlikely that they had stolen the dead body themselves since they were the one's that had called the police. So it didn't seem like a person could have done it, but still it seemed like they were forgetting something, as if what Elliot had said wasn't too far from the truth but it still wasn't correct.

"Well, they didn't steal the body from above. They couldn't have got in from the sides. Only other thing is, they get in from underneath." Elliot explained to Rory. There was no way that the body was taken from the top because the dirt and grass was still in place, a few flowers were even growing in the soil, so it definitely wasn't messed with on the top. They obviously couldn't have gotten in from the sides because there was only more dirt and soil there, so the only possible entrance had to be from below. No one knew what was under the soil.

"Not very likely, though." Rory told him. Still thinking on what they were missing. It seemed like Elliot was on to something. But Rory thought there was another part to that, maybe an alien or something was stealing the humans or something weird like that. It sure seemed like aliens had a huge part in his life and every adventure he had been on so far there was some sort of alien threat. He was one hundred percent sure that aliens had something to do with what was going on. It had to be.

"When you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Sherlock Holmes. The graves round here eat people." Elliot announced, jumping effortlessly into the hole with Rory. Elliot was right the graves were eating people and he had a pretty good idea why. Now all he had to do was find the Doctor. No more investigating for him, it was time to bring in the alien brains. Finally he could get out of this dead person hole! Thank you Elliot!

* * *

"It's not quicksand. She didn't just sink. Something pulled her in. It wanted her." The Doctor told the others as he continued to think of what exactly had pulled her in. Oh Astrid, why did you have to rescue Amy, why did you have to put Amy's well being above your own. It was one of Astrid's many flaws and it was the one he loved the most about her. Why did she have to be so selfless. Is that why the ground wanted you? No, because it wanted Amy before you jumped in and saved her. Why did the ground want you two girls? Is it because you're associated with me? I really don't want that to be true. I'm sorry Astrid. I'm really really sorry that you were taken, and I promise I will get you back.

"The ground wanted her?" Nasreen asked confused. Why would the ground want something. It wasn't an actual living thing, it was just as alive as doors and windows. The ground can't be alive so how is it taking people? How is it even feeling the emotion of wanting something? It can't carry out an action or talk like a human. It can't think thoughts so how in the world can the ground want?

"You said the ground was dormant. Just a patch of earth, when you first saw it this morning. And the drill had been stopped. But when you re-started the drill, the ground fought back." The Doctor answered back. He knew he must sound ridiculous but it was true. The ground hadn't been moving when he had gotten here with the girls, it was just a hole of dirt. But when the drill had begun drilling it had attacked back and had crumbled the building beneath it to get to them. It made sense, the humans just weren't listening.

"So what, the ground wants to stop us drilling? Doctor, that is ridiculous." Nasreen said with disbelief. This guy came in here all nice and kind wanting to help them with their problems, but all he wanted was for them to shut down drilling. He had probably set all of this up! He had probably planned it all out with his two friends. That would explain why he didn't look upset about his other friend getting 'taken by the ground'. It was all a huge trick to scare her into stopping her drilling! Well if he thought that she was going to stop drilling because of a stupid prank he had another thing coming.

"I'm not saying that, and it's not ridiculous, I just don't think it's right. Oh, of course. It's bio-programming." The Doctor announced, finally understanding what was going on. His brain was so slow today, it must be because of the slow day. Nothing life threatening or adventurous had happened until now, so his brain hadn't been working overtime like it usually did. Astrid would have figured it out before him! He was going to have a very stern talking to with his brain later!

"Bio Whatsit?" Amy asked confused, she was trying to distract herself now. The pain and guilt gnawing at the back of her mind trying to take her over. She would not let it win, she would defeat it. She hated the feeling of constantly reliving the moment over and over again in her head. She wanted some peace, and asking questions always distracted her. What she had done was unforgivable.

"Bio-programming. Oh, it's clever. You use bio-signals to resonate the internal molecular structure of natural objects. It's mainly used in engineering and construction, mostly jungle planets, but that's way in the future and not here. What's it doing here?" The Doctor said, trying to narrow down the list of several jungle planet species. There were so many it was impossible to tell what species was under the ground. It was like looking for a grain of brown sugar on a beach. No forget the brown sugar. It was just going to be nearly impossible to figure out what type of aliens it was that had captured Astrid!

"Sorry, did you just say jungle planets?" Nasreen asked in a very appalled manner. What did he mean jungle planets? Was he a spaceman of some sort, is that the kind of scientist he was? This man was impossible! He was the impossible man! And that child, the one with incredible knowledge, she was impossible too. They were all impossible! Who are they? Nasreen didn't have a clue.

"Yes, yes he did." Amy confirmed as she stared out into nowhere, barely paying attention to the conversation that the other three were having. Instead she was thinking of the horrible moment that she had witnessed. The pain in Astrid's eyes as she begged not to go under, the helplessness that Amy felt as she tried to rescue her friend, and the fear in the Doctor's eyes at the thought of losing his love. It broke Amy even more every time she played it in her mind, but she had to. If she didn't then she wouldn't only be a killer she would also be a monster.

"You're not making any sense, man." Mack said a bit angrily at the Doctor. Mack was a scientist but he had never once heard any of the words that man was spitting out. Where had this man gone to school, because it had obviously never been a university. He was a genius with a brain like Albert Einstein, he certainly seemed crazy like the man.

"Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up. The earth, the ground beneath our feet, was bio-programmed to attack." The Doctor replied, trying to explain it in a way that a young timelord would understand. He was used to talking with a genious such as future Astrid, or maybe even younger Astrid … if of course she ever started talking to him again.

"Yeah, even if that were possible, which, by the way, it's not, why?" Nasreen asked him with interest and curiosity atop her tongue. She knew that the ground had done something, but it as sure as hell had not been attacking. She had seen the Doctor's friend get taken but it could have been simply an earthquake after all. And excuse her, but she was so keeping up. She was after all a scientist with a Doctorate, it wasn't like she was completely daft. Not once in her entire lifetime had she ever heard that word before in her life, it wasn't her fault. Perhaps her professor's, but never her own.

"Stop you from drilling. Okay, so we find whatever's doing the bio-programming, we can find Astrid. We can get her back. We can actually properly get her back. Shush, shush, shush. Have I gone mad? I've gone mad." The Doctor said as he paced the room trying to find the exact reason for hearing extra drills. Amy would probably pass it off for being an alien, and Astrid would say that it's his brain trying to tell him something. But the Doctor himself, he thought he had finally gone completely mad.

"Doctor. What are you …" Nasreen tried again, this time being cut off. The Doctor was starting to annoy her now. He was too kind for her to yell at him or kick him out, especially after what had just happened. She knew in her heart all he was trying to do was help and that he had good intentions but this was out of hand. He was insane or something, because this was not how normal people acted. Sure a few of them once in awhile say that they hear things, but acting like a complete lunatic? That was not normal.

"Shush, shush. Silence. Absolute silence. You've stopped the drill, right? And you've only got the one drill? Well, of course you only have one drill, if you had more than one I'd have seen it. So, if you shut the drill down, why can I still hear drilling? It's under the ground!" The Doctor said in a very long ramble. Why if all the drills were shut down, could he hear more drills. It doesn't make sense! What was under the ground! He wished he had Astrid with him now, she knew everything. Ugh, her and her know it all knowledge. And he thought he knew everything. He needed Astrid and soon, he would never be able to solve this without her big, smart brain.

"That's not possible." Mack exclaimed. It was just preposterous! Drills under the ground? There was only one drill and it was off. Mack couldn't hear anything. What was going on? Was he going to have to restrain this man? Why was this Doctor guy so insistent on getting him and Nasreen to do stuff for him, did him and Nasreen have a giant sign above their heads that said they needed help from a psycho? This Doctor, was very kind but perhaps maybe too kind.

"As Astrid would say, nothing is impossible just highly improbable." Amy said a little shaken from the whole incident that had happened a few moments prior. Amy knew that Astrid could take care of herself, especially the future version of Astrid. But the hysterical fear that was on her face before she was sucked into the earth made Amy think differently. She knew what was going on, yet she was so scared of what was awaiting her under the soil. Whatever was there had to be bad. She watched silently as the Doctor sonicked the computers near by, her eyes mournfully watching his every move.

"Oh no, what, what are you doing?" Nasreen asked as she rushed over to stop him. That laptop held all the research on her work and he could break it. Who knew what that silly little pulsing thing was doing to it. This man seemed kind and a little too sciencey for his own good, maybe just maybe he was out to steal her work. No, she couldn't make assumptions like that, it wasn't nice. This man wasn't going to break anything she was sure of it. She just needed to calm herself down.

"Hacking into your records. Probe reports, samples, sensors. Good. Just unite the data, make it all one big conversation. Let's have a look. So, we are here and this is your drill hole. Twenty one point zero zero nine kilometres. Well done." The Doctor said at an extremely fast pace, not even stopping for a breath. This was a huge achievement for a human. Shouldn't it be in the history books? He had read every single history book in existence. He had almost beaten Astrid too. It was one of their stay in days and Astrid had insisted that she was a better reader than him, he of course being prideful had called the statement false so they had a race reading every single history book in the world, to see who could do it fastest. She had beaten him by a smidge, he still suspected that she had cheated. But still that didn't change the fact that Nasreen's accomplishment had not been in any one of them. The important question being, what happened to prevent that?

"Thank you. It's taken us a long time." Nasreen pronounced proudly, smiling a huge smile, and her eyes gleaming with happiness. This was what she always wanted to do ever since she was a little girl living in London. All she ever wanted to do was explore. And now here she was, living her biggest dream with the best team behind her, and her biggest achievement ever on her shoulders forever. This had taken them almost all of their adult lives, but good god it was worth it.

"Why here, though? Why'd you drill on this site?" The Doctor asked her. Something was telling him that it wasn't a good reason. Drill out in the middle of nowhere? They had to have a reason. No one … except for maybe him and Astrid would ever do a crazy thing such as that. But he wasn't a human and Astrid was special. Human's would never dare do something as insane as that. It was freezing out here, and it was really small. The only thing that ever got humans to do stuff was curiosity. But curiosity, although a very logical explanation to why Nasreen chose to come out here was still not a big enough reason to drop everything and come out here. Wherever here was.

"We found patches of grass in this area, containing trace minerals unseen in this country for twenty million years." Nasreen told the Doctor as she looked at the screen in awe as new information came up. She had been extremely fascinated with the grass, in fact she thought it was too beautiful to be dug up. But it had to be if she was ever going to accomplish her dream. Now that he was asking, it did seem a bit strange to her. No sign of it for that long and no caution when it shows back up again. She was definitely wary of that grass now. She really should have stayed away the first time, she was such an idiot.

"The blue grass. Oh, Nasreen. Those trace minerals weren't X marking the spot, saying dig here. They were a warning. Stay away. Because while you've been drilling down, somebody else has been drilling up." The Doctor replied to Nasreen as he started typing on the keys again, trying to reveal the sensor readings. He remembered the blue grass from somewhere. Where was it? Think, think, think! Hadn't Astrid warned him about blue grass? Not this Astrid but the future version of her had. It was in his last body, she had said something about blue grass and a lizard. He wasn't sure exactly what she had said, it wasn't exactly important at the time and he hadn't really listened to her. Now he was really regretting not listening because that information could very well mean her life. He was so stupid.

"What are they?" Nasreen asked as she stared at the screen trying to make heads or tails of the information. It certainly wasn't like anything she had seen before. It was new. It was like there was a hidden passage way on her screen and it wouldn't show itself until the Doctor revealed it. What did all of this science stuff mean? She didn't understand half the words on the screen now! This was worrying her, she didn't know what was going to happen.

"Heat signals. Wait, dual readings, hot and cold, doesn't make sense. And now they're moving. Fast. How many people live nearby?" The Doctor asked frantically. There was only a handful of alien species that had both hot and cold readings and mostly all of them were bad, about half of them were his enemies! This was getting worse and worse for Astrid. He only hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was because if he was right, and he usually was, she would be killed in battle. Astrid would die before he got her back.

"Just my daughter and her family. The rest of the staff travel in." Mack quickly explained with a very confused look on her face. Why was this guy asking personal questions now? Was he an inspector of some kind? No he couldn't possibly be an inspector, he barely looked old enough to drive. The Doctor seemed to be kind enough, especially after just losing his little child friend. So why was he ordering them to do stuff? Maybe the loss had broke him. Maybe the loss was making him crazy. Mack didn't know but he wouldn't be able to take much more of this.

"Grab this equipment and follow me." The Doctor stated firmly as he very quickly snatched up the laptop and placed it in Nasreen's hands. Something was wrong and he was going to get to the bottom of it. He was going to save the earth … again he might add. Why was the earth always in trouble, why couldn't it just stay calm and peaceful for just one adventure. But he couldn't leave his second home stranded without help, it wasn't like he could just run away. He ran away all the time and he was not going to now, especially since he wanted his love rescued.

"Doctor, where are we going? Doctor?" Amy questioned as they walked further and further away from the building they had been in. She was confused? What was so bad with something coming up from inside the ground. Sure it was probably something not good. Plus, it was the same thing that had taken Astrid. But who cares it wasn't like it was going to have the chance to kill them. Her raggedy man would defeat whatever alien it was this time around and then he would get them far far away from this place. Nothing would hurt them so why was he in such a hurry? Amy didn't understand!

"That noise isn't a drill, it's transport. Three of them, thirty kilometres down. Rate of speed looks about a hundred and fifty kilometres an hour. Should be here in ooh, quite soon. Twelve minutes. Whatever bio-programmed the Earth is on its way up, now." The Doctor explained, quickly thinking out a plan. If they took Astrid as a bribe in exchange for something perhaps he could get her back. But would it work? What if it was one of his enemies. He was after all over nine hundred years old and he had several enemies. If it was one of them trying to steal Astrid to get to him, well … then there was no hope for her. But a future version would have told him about this right? Ok, so the plan was wait and see what type of alien it was and then go from there. Maybe then he would have a better plan then just hoping and praying that they would give her back to him.

"That's good right? They could lead us straight to Astrid." Amy said hopefully. If Astrid came back unharmed that means that she would be able to stop blaming herself! It was perfect! Then she wouldn't feel like a rubbish friend and everything could go back to normal! Yeah, that could work.

"No, it's not good because whatever is happening to Astrid right now would happen to all of us." The Doctor replied, shivering at the thought. He didn't know what threat was down there it could be something as simple as Adipose or something as horrid as Daleks. He hoped it wasn't the latter but either way, it was taking humans and doing something to them. And that something sure didn't sound good. He was not going to risk Amy and Rory or himself down there, and he especially didn't need them coming up here to wreak havoc. This was going to be a disaster!

"How can something be coming up when there's only the Earth's crust down there? Who are you, anyway? How can you know all this? Why'd you have a child with you?" Mack asked, firing question after question at the man. Mack was completely and utterly confused. Properly confused. The man shows up with a child and a meek little ginger friend and he bosses them around once the child goes missing. Something was coming out of the earth? What the hell does that mean? The only thing that lived under the earth was worms and dirt and stuff. Earth stuff. Well at least he thought so. Could there be more? He trusted the man after all and the man was telling them that there was something else under the ground. So maybe there was after all.

"Whoa, did you see that?" Nasreen asked amazed as she watched the glimmer of red blow up the sky into a blaze of auburn. It was beautiful. Was it fire? Maybe something was wrong with the sky? She knew that something was wrong which just added to the fact that nothing was going right today. But it was beautiful. All the reds and oranges that had slowly lit up the sky for a brief moment. It was awful but she wanted it to come back. Just for a minute so she could see the divine beauty once again.

"No, no, no." The Doctor mumbled. This could not be happening! How would he ever be able to get Astrid now! He wasn't going to just use the front door! He would be killed instantly if they suspected that they were intruders! What could he do! Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Maybe it wasn't what he thought it was. To check to see if he was right the Doctor quickly pulled out a catapult and stone from out of his bigger on the inside pockets, and then quickly proceeded to fire the stone into the air. His hopes were diminished however, when the stone met a energy shield and vaporized into dust in front of his eyes.

"Energy signal originating from under the Earth. We're trapped." The Doctor announced downcast, staring at were the rock once was. Nothing would be able to save Astrid now. She was lost. She was gone forever. No! He would not accept that. He would not accept defeat. Astrid was not gone until there was no more he could do. Astrid was going to be saved. He was going to save her even if he had to give up his own life in exchange for hers. He was going to gamble with the universe, and he was going to win.

"Doctor, Amy, something weird's going on here, the graves are eating people." Rory said, walking up to them confused. He had finally found them! Now Rory could explain to the Doctor what was going on and he would fix it. Right? He was the Doctor, and it was an alien threat. Well, at least he thought so. So could the Doctor fix the threat, and save the day so Rory didn't have to? He wasn't a hero like the Doctor was. He couldn't save all these people alone. He needed the Doctor to help and he needed him to help now before it got worse and one of them were eaten.

"Not now, Rory. Energy barricade, invisible to the naked eye. We can't get out and no one from the outside world can get in." The Doctor explained as he thought about what else he could do. There weren't many options now that they were locked into this tiny town, they had no resources, they were cut off. That meant that if anything went wrong they wouldn't have any way of escaping.

"What? Okay, what about the Tardis?" Rory asked. He knew he was fairly new to the Tardis and that he had only been on a few adventures so far, but the Tardis, from what Rory had seen, could do anything! It traveled through space and time to different worlds and universes during different time periods so wouldn't it be able to do something as simple as transport off the earth? It seemed like an easy way out. Maybe too easy.

"Er, no. Those energy patterns would play havoc with the circuits. With a bit of time, maybe, but we've only got nine and a half minutes." The Doctor told him, distracted by his own thoughts. They were trapped, and Astrid was stuck underground with something that they didn't know much about. A future version of Astrid had certainly told him about this adventure before, it sounded very familiar. He should have listened, why didn't he listen to what had happened, it was one of the rare times that she had given him spoilers and he hadn't listened. No wonder she was mad at him that day, she was angry that he hadn't listened to her warnings. Now it all made sense! He would have to apologize the next time he saw a future version of her, he had a feeling it wouldn't be for a while though, they had a very young version of her with them now and he doubted that she would be leaving them for a while now. Not until _**IT**_ happens. That's when she'll leave. He didn't know when _**IT**_ would happen, but he knew it wouldn't be soon.

"Nine and a half minutes to what? Doctor what are you not telling us?" Amy asked confused, contributing to the conversation again. Astrid was missing, Rory would find out any minute, whatever had taken Astrid was coming out of the ground, and they were trapped. Then on top of all that, the Doctor was hiding something that had to do with a time limit. Was Astrid dying? Was the world going to explode? Amy didn't know but from the way the Doctor was talking about it, and the way he looked extremely distracted with it then it was not good, not good at all. Something more was happening and Amy was going to get to the bottom of it.

"We're trapped, and something's burrowing towards the surface." Nasreen clarified for Amy. She was a person of learning. Eight years of learning at a university to be exact. She knew what the Doctor was going through in his mind. The way his eyes constantly darted around the room, the way his mouth was set in a firm line, he was concentrating on something. Then if Nasreen thought about it, the man had shown them the dual readings coming closer. Well, if she added all of that together then it was quite obvious what he wasn't telling them. The readings looked close, about nine minutes close. He must have not told them because he assumed that they had known. He was a really smart man, in fact he was a genius.

"Where's Astrid?" Rory asked in a distraught manner, finally realising that she wasn't with Amy and the Doctor. The Doctor wouldn't dare let her go off on her own, especially with a possible alien invasion. There was no way, she was too young. Where was she if not with them. What had happened? All Rory could do was fear the worst, that she had died. She had died because she was traveling with the Doctor. She had gotten hurt just like he thought she would. He could see it on the Doctor's face. Oh my gosh she was gone! Something had happened. Astrid was gone.

"Get everyone inside the church. Rory, I'll get her back." The Doctor replied, staring at Rory with determined eyes and his lips set in a firm line. He was going to find Astrid. He knew that Rory was still a little bit weary of traveling in the Tardis with him. He knew that Rory thought that one of these someone would get hurt, and he had been right. All he ever did was lead people to their graves. Lead them to pain and suffering, and lead them to war and hate. He changed people. He hurt them to the point where he didn't recognize them anymore. He was a monster. He had hurt Astrid. He had gotten her hurt as a child. Was he the reason that she was who she was in the future. He hadn't noticed it until that day. The day after her first time jump. Astrid was strong and hid her pain behind her smiles and laughter. He didn't know until that night. That night she was so upset and confused. The Tardis had lead him to her room, where she sat crying, tears making it's way down her cheeks. In her future she was hurt, hurt so much that she was far beyond repair. Did he make her that way? Was it all his fault? Had he really broken his beautiful love?

"What do you mean, get her back? Where's she gone?" Rory asked the Doctor trying to get some sort of answer. He looked torn, like even the mention of Astrid was killing him slowly. Whatever had happened had not been pretty. If Astrid was dead, did she die in pain and suffering, begging for more time, begging for Rory to come and save her. He had promised to keep her safe and he had broken that promise. He felt like he was losing a sister, someone so close that it was hurting him.

"She was taken. Into the Earth." The Doctor told Rory, pain evident in his tone. This was really hard for the Doctor, this was probably the hardest part of any of this. Defeating aliens he could handle but telling someone that their best friend was hurt or possibly dead. That was nearly impossible. Especially when that best friend was also the love of the Doctor's life. He was hurting. A proper hurt. When he had lost Rose, it felt like he was losing a friend and he had cried for a day or two, when he had lost Martha it had felt like he was losing a mother. Someone who cared about him and took great care of him, and when he lost Donna he felt like he was losing a sister. Someone he cared about so so much, someone that made him smile and laugh. Someone that had been filled with such fire. But hurting Astrid and potentially losing her, that broke him. It was like losing all three at one time. It was like killing Gallifrey all over again.

"How? Why didn't you stop it? She was my best friend!" Rory exclaimed, anger and disbelief in his voice as he spoke. Astrid was hurt. She had been taken just like the people in the graves. His friend, his best friend. The little girl with the fiery red hair and fiery temper like his wife. The little girl with the calming brown eyes, the eyes so innocent that he couldn't help but smile when he saw them. The little girl that had so much spirit and laughter, the person that lit up any room that she entered. She was Rory's little girl, his best friend.

"I tried. I promise, I tried." The Doctor told Rory, almost begging Rory to forgive him. It was all his fault, he should have listened to Rory. It was all his fault that he may never hear her laughter again or see her sparkling, beautiful, doe eyes. It was all his fault and he would never be able to live with himself if she were dead.

"Well, you should've tried harder! She was only a little girl!" Rory yelled at the Doctor. He should have been more careful. She was barely even fourteen. It was all Rory's fault, he should have went with them. He could have saved her then. He could have saved her, and yet he had gone off to play in some grave. It was all his fault and he would never forgive himself. He wasn't mad, not at them at least. He was mad at himself.

"Rory it isn't his fault, She saved me and took my place. She knew how much I meant to you." Amy said to Rory, nearly bursting into tears as she griped her hands into fists to compose herself. It was Amy who had been stuck, it was her who had been saved by Astrid so didn't that mean it was her fault. She could see the guilt flash behind Rory's and the Doctor's eyes, but it was her fault that Astrid had even been taken. It was her fault not theirs, never theirs.

"Yet, she doesn't understand how important she is to all of us." Rory mumbled. It was true though, Astrid was his best friend. They trusted each other, they helped each other, and they only told each other the truth. Astrid was Amy's friend, before Amy started to ignore Astrid of course. Amy cared about Astrid, Amy took interest in some of Astrid's hobbies, and they both enjoyed playing darts. And Astrid was the Doctor's lover in the future. At least that was what Amy told him. The way their eyes sparkled with love when they saw each other, and the way that Astrid talked about the Doctor like he was everything to her. Astrid was special to them and yet she gave up her life thinking that no one loved her.

"I'm sorry Rory I know how you feel, she was my friend too." Amy proclaimed exasperated, grabbing Rory's hand as he went to walk off. Even if Amy was being ignored she still cared about Astrid. She wanted Astrid safe just as much as Rory and the Doctor. She knew she may not have been as important to Astrid as the other two were but she still wanted Astrid safe. She wanted Astrid alive, and she was just as upset as the other two were that Astrid was hurt.

"No Amy, no you don't know how I feel. Try losing the Doctor and then tell me how you feel." Rory said as he closed his eyes tightly in pain, not even daring to open them. Amy may be Astrid's friend but she didn't know all of Astrid's hopes and dreams. Amy didn't know what Astrid was scared of, or what made her feel better. Amy didn't know what to say to make Astrid smile and laugh, or what her secrets were. She knew about the Doctor. The Doctor was her best friend, not Astrid. And until Amy lost the Doctor she would never know how Rory felt in this moment, right here, right now. It was harsh and Rory knew that, but it was true.

"I'm sorry Rory. I'm so, so sorry." Amy said, tears now making an appearance as she broke down crying. She let go as she wiped away the tears that flowed down her cheeks. She knew that Rory was just upset, but would he ever forgive her for what she did to Astrid. She had lost her. She had lost Rory's best friend and he was angry and upset.

"I'll find Astrid. I'll keep you all safe, I promise. Come on, please. I need you alongside me. Both of you." The Doctor said as he swung an arm over both of his friends, begging them to help save Astrid. Amy wiped the remaining tears off her cheeks and nodded a small yes towards the Doctor. She would help whatever it took, she walked off towards the church, Rory leaving a few seconds later, stalking off towards the church with anger in his eyes, leaving the Doctor alone outside as he thought about what he could do to save Astrid.

* * *

"So we can't get out, we can't contact anyone, and something, the something that took my husband, is coming up through the Earth." Ambrose clarified, with confusion in her eyes. It sounded unreal. Like something out of a child's story book. It couldn't be real, this man was bonkers. He was drunk or something. They weren't anything she'd seen before. The woman with the stripper clothes, and the man with the shy face with a bowtie wearing man that happened to be a doctor. They were not normal, Ambrose could tell you that much. And there was something that the Doctor wasn't telling them, something in his eyes that just looked off. She couldn't explain it, but he was lying to them. She could tell.

"Yes. If we move quickly enough, we can be ready." The Doctor answered. He knew that the woman was confused. Who wouldn't be after hearing that you're husband was under the ground with aliens that were coming up to collect the rest of us. Any normal human would not believe that and he had a feeling that she didn't. It was an insane idea to anybody who hadn't seen it a million times already, and he often forgot that.

"No, stop. This has gone far enough. What is this?" Ambrose asked with a hostile tone. Something was going on. Nothing was 'coming out of the earth' the only thing that lived under the ground was dirt and rock and sand and an occasional bug or two. It was science 101. Hadn't any of them taken science? Science was even a part of her father's line of work! It was like something was hypnotising them to believe something as stupid as other life forms. What was wrong with them.

"He's telling the truth, love." Mack told his daughter. It was like she was in denial. Like losing Mo was putting her over the edge. It was like she didn't trust anybody in this room. Like she was going to kill anybody who came close to her. She was hurt and he understood that, but it was no need for her to act like a complete teenager. Mack thought he had raised her better than that. Obviously not though.

"Come on. It's not the first time we've had no mobile or phone signals. Reception's always rubbish." Ambrose said, coming up with a quick excuse because she didn't want to believe it. It wasn't like monsters and aliens and all that stuff was real. Not at all. These people were being deceiving and nobody noticed it but her. It was like she was the only one with any common sense left!

"Look, Ambrose. We saw the Doctor's friend get taken, okay? You saw the lightning in the sky. I have seen the impossible today, and the only person who's made any sense of it for me, is the Doctor." Nasreen explained to the young woman, taken aback by her behavior. The Doctor was a very truthful man and he knew what he was doing. If he had a plan to get back Mo and his friend, Nasreen was not going to get in the way. The Doctor was far from hostile it wasn't like Ambrose was going to be killed by him or something. Yes he talked about many things that she didn't understand but his friend's seemed to understand it and that was enough for her. Ambrose had nothing to worry about so what was wrong?

"Him?" Ambrose questioned, gazing at the Doctor with a little bit of a glare. Ambrose did not like this man. The man that had a little possie of liers backing him up and tricking them. The man that seemed to talk gibberish to her but make complete sense to her father. The man that had gotten his friend to get just a little too close to her son. He was not a doctor. He was a fake if he'd ever seen one. He looked more like a child then an adult! How old was he anyway, eighteen? He couldn't have been much older then twenty. He was a flippin kid and they wanted her to trust him?! No way. Not ever going to happen.

"Me." The Doctor confirmed, a small smile on his lips. He had some cooperation at least. This would make his plan so much easier. Especially with help. Rory may be extremely mad at him and Amy may be unable to function because of her guilt, as well as the fact that the woman with the purple shirt seemed to absolutely not trust him, but the other two were ready to help. And he could feel that they trusted him. Two more pairs of hands would make this work very well! He couldn't wait to get started!

"Can you get my dad back?" Elliot asked in a small whisper, barely audible for anybody to hear. His dad was missing. His dad could be hurt. The dad that read him funny stories and made him laugh. The dad that made him smile even when he wasn't trying to. The dad that he loved so very much. He wanted his father back. He missed him. He trusted Rory, and if Rory trusted that the Doctor could bring his father back, then he trusted the Doctor too. He just needed to know that the Doctor would bring him back. To hear it from him.

"Yes. But I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say from this second onwards, because we're running out of time." The Doctor told the young boy. He knew what it was like to lose a father. He hated that feeling and he was going to try everything to get this little boy's father back as well as Astrid. He could relate to this boy and that made him fight harder. He was not going to give up. Not once, not ever. Because the boy's life could be ruined forever if he did.

"So tell us what to do." Ambrose said hesitantly. She was a little unsure of this man, but he could bring back her husband then he would not question his abilities. After all he had lost someone too. He knew how she felt and Ambrose knew that he would try anything to get the people that were stolen, back. She didn't trust this man, not even in the slightest but she wouldn't complain. Not when that could jeopardise Mo coming home.

"Thank you. We have eight minutes to set up a line of defence. Bring me every phone, every camera, every piece of recording or transmitting equipment you can find." The Doctor announced to everyone. He had a plan that could help him get Astrid back. He was angry as hell and whoever took her was going to get the shock of their life … quite literally. They had stolen a little girl. A young version of his love. And he was not going to stop fighting until she was back with him safe and sound. He knew he was being revengeful and violent. He knew that he wasn't supposed to be. But Astrid wasn't here, and she was the one who usually stopped him. He didn't know how to stop himself.

Finally, a good few minutes later all the equipment was set up. The dots on the computer screen blinking and shining red, showing them heading closer and closer to the surface with every second of every minute. Letting them know of the inevitable appearance of some sort of alien or another heading to the surface.

"Right, guys, we need to be ready for whatever's coming up. I need a map of the village marking where the cameras are going." The Doctor said, walking over to the little boy that Rory had told him was named Elliot. He looked left out and the one thing the Doctor hated doing was leaving people out.

"I can't do the words. I'm dyslexic." The young boy told him. His lips turned into a frown as he thought about his disability. He had always had it and it made it extremely hard for him, especially in school when he had to read aloud. All the kids had laughed at him and it was the reason that he was homeschooled on half of the school days. He really wanted to help, but making a map would be impossible!

"Oh, that's all right, I can't make a decent meringue. Draw like your life depends on it, Elliot." The Doctor told Elliot, glee in his voice as he walked away, a smile on his face as he did so. The boy quickly grabbed out his crayons getting to work on his map. He was going to help fight the monsters and he was going to do it even though he had a disability which made him proud of himself. With an attitude like this he could achieve anything in life! The Doctor had shown him that everyone had limitations, but very few actually pushed past them and he was going to be one of the very few. Thank you Doctor, for changing his views on dyslexia.

It was not long after that the CCTV was ready and set, the Cameras were just about ready and their plan was almost complete. Pretty soon all they would have to do is wait.

* * *

"Amy, what's wrong?" The Doctor asked her, slowly walking over to where she sat on the step. Her eyes closed in pain.

"It's all my fault, Doctor. All of it." Amy said solemnly, her eyes closed in despair as she relived what had happened to Astrid over and over in her mind. She should have been there for Astrid. She had almost killed Astrid once. A future Astrid, but it still counted. Astrid had saved her life then too, taking the pain away from Amy so she didn't have to go through it. The Doctor may heal people and make them better but she was the Superhero that jumped in and saved the day. But Amy, Amy had just killed her. She wouldn't be able to save anybody ever again.

"Amy it's not your fault. She saved you on her own." The Doctor told her soothingly. Astrid had done it all to her own accord, not even thinking twice about what had happened. That was who Astrid was, leaping in to save her friends without even thinking of the consequences. She had risked her life on several accounts for her friends, as well as himself. Not once complaining about what she had to go through to save them from the pain and suffering. Astrid placed herself second when it came to her friends and that worried him. He had promised himself that he would save her … but he hadn't. If anything it was his fault.

"But Rory, he's furious. They were best friends." Amy said, looking down at her hands almost in tears. She had hurt Rory, she had hurt the man she loved. On top of that she had killed his best friend, there was blood on her hands and she would never be able to forgive herself. Not ever. What had she done to ever deserve a man like Rory, a sweet kind man. All she had done was hurt him and mock him, ever since they were little. She never deserved him. Not once had she ever done anything to earn such a noble prize.

"Don't worry about Rory, worry about yourself. It is not your fault." The Doctor told her with a very stern tone. He didn't want to see Amy so broken. The only thing she had done so far was sit still with a distant look on her face, barely talking but forever thinking. It made him even angrier at himself to see the aftermath of not saving Astrid himself. It was his fault, never Amelia's, and he hoped that it stayed that way, always.

"Maybe he's right, I don't know how he feels. She wasn't as special to us. Rory is the only person who ever pays any actual attention to her." Amy said, sinking further into a shell of self pity. He could see it in her eyes, he knew that look well, he wore that look several times before. Guilt. The feeling of something trying to force it's way up your throat. The feeling of tears building up in your eyes just barely burning you as they dared you to cry. The feeling of dread in your hearts, that no matter what you do it never feels any better, and the constant pounding in your head like a million people were yelling at you for what you had done, telling you that it should have been you. He knew the feeling like a second home, and he did not want it to eat through Amy, making her so afraid of herself that she was her worst fear. He was going to help his Amelia.

"Oh Amy, that may be true but she is as special to me as she is to Rory and she is as special to you as she is to me. I'll leave you alone to think a bit. Just don't blame yourself Amy." The Doctor tried to explain, only resulting in making Amy even more confused as she had been. What did he mean? She knew that she shouldn't blame herself but she couldn't help it! She had lost a little girl and probably killed her too. She was a terrible role model for Astrid. But most of all she was a terrible, horrible friend for doing what she had done. It was all her fault.

* * *

"How're you doing?" The Doctor asked Rory, slowly walking over to him as he was putting finishing touches on a sensor array. He knew Rory was mad at him, who wouldn't be after he had let a little girl get hurt? He was even mad at himself for crying out loud! It was his own stupid fault. He was an idiot, Astrid was completely right on that one. But now, now he was going to make up for it. He was going to apologize, even if it broke him.

"Not that great. My best friend is missing and were being attacked by … by who knows what." Rory told him, panicked by the idea that they had no idea what they were fighting. For all he knew it had super sonic eyes and could destroy their cameras with a bat of it's eyelashes. It wasn't incredibly hard for him to believe something like that, after all he had seen the impossible already. Rory was hurt and the only thing that would console him is seeing the not hurt fourteen year old girl with his own eyes.

"Rory i'm sorry." The Doctor said remorsefully. Rory didn't understand who Astrid was to the Doctor yet. He didn't understand that to the Doctor she was his lover in the future, and that every time that Astrid was in danger it torn his hearts apart until he saw that she was not harmed in any way. But he understood Rory's thinking. Rory had lost his best friend. If he had lost Amy he would have been a wreck. He understood Rory. He understood him perfectly.

"No, just stop, I know. I was just upset, I should be the one who's sorry. It's getting darker. How can it be getting dark so quickly?" Rory asked confused, watching as the sun faded out into nothing. It was as if someone had flicked a light switch, turning the blinding light into a murky black. He understood what was going on, something or someone, whatever had taken his best friend, some alien of some sort, was trying to capture the rest of them. He didn't know why or how, but he knew that they were going to try to do to them whatever they had done to Astrid. He knew the Doctor would stop it. He always stopped it. He would get Astrid back and persuade the aliens not to capture them. He would right?

"Shutting out light from within the barricade. Trying to isolate us in the dark. Which means …" The Doctor explained, a very loud rumble cutting him off. The dark had come, shutting them in pitch black dark. All they could see was black and all they could hear was each other breathing. It was time, whatever was under the earth, whatever had stolen his Astrid was here. And he was ready.

"They're close to the surface now." Nasreen announced, frightened. She knew with the Doctor's help that they wouldn't get hurt. At least she hoped so anyways. But that didn't stop her from being scared. Nareen had a feeling. A tingling, gut wrenching feeling that something was wrong. That something bad was going to happen. A feeling that told her that they weren't going to be safe. Feeling the need for comfort she grabbed Macks hand. The man that she knew would console her fears for time being. Mack, not having the same amount of faith in the Doctor, knew that something was going to go wrong. Every plan had a glitch, he didn't know what the glitch was in this plan but there was one, he just knew it. Not thinking that he was ever going to have the chance to do it again, he quickly conquered up all his courage and pulled Nareen towards him, giving her a long, lengthy, breathless kiss filled with passion. Meanwhile, the dots on the screen had stopped moving. They were here. Hell had begun.

* * *

"I can't open it. It keeps sticking. The wood's warped." Ambrose announced, desperately trying to pull open the door with all her might. She did not want to be left out here when whatever it was came out of the ground. Not at all. She wanted to be safe in the church … well, as safe as she was going to be.

"Doctor, pull harder." Amy told him, standing off to the side lost in thought. If she wasn't so distracted she would have been helping. But no, she was stuck listening to the little voice inside her head scream at her for letting Astrid rescue her. Amy should have been the one stuck under the earth. Amy should be the one missing. Amy should have stopped whining like a toddler and she should have been sucked under the dirt. She shouldn't have let Astrid save her. Rory was going to hate Amy for what she had done. She had killed a child.

"Any time you want to help." The Doctor said to Amy, snapping her out of her thoughts. He knew she was guilty and he knew what that did to a person. All she needed was a little distraction and she would be fine … Right?

"Can't you sonic it?" Rory asked the Doctor, highly annoyed that the timelord hadn't thought of it in the first place. He understood that the Doctor was distracted but that gave him no reason to make them do arduous work even though they had an easy out.

"It doesn't do wood." The Doctor explained, yanking on the door handles to try and open the door before the whatever alien it was came to the surface. He wanted to meet them, yes, that was true, but he did not want to get attacked by them without knowing what they were getting attacked by.

"That is rubbish." Rory proclaimed, finally giving up and walking over to Amy. What kind of alien technology didn't do wood? That was just preposterous!

"Oi, don't diss the sonic." The Doctor yelled over to him, the door finally creaked open as he yanked on the handles a final time. It wasn't his fault the sonic didn't do wood, it was timelord technology not his technology after all. No matter how hard he wished it was his.

* * *

"No power." Mack said as they rushed around trying to find something to turn the power back on, a power box, something, anything that could help them fry the things. They had sent a blackout their way so whatever they were, they were smart. They had known what their plan was, they had left them defenceless, and trapped, no way of escape. They had put them in the dark which weakened them since they wouldn't be able to see. They were getting ready for attack, he just knew it. They were goners for sure.

"This is usually when you have a really great idea!" Rory shouted at the Doctor, trying to get up after the giant rumble that had knocked him off his feet. The Doctor was the master of coming up with plans on the fly. He had witnessed it on his first adventure. When his planned had failed he had quickly come up with another one, and it resulted in saving Venice. If his first plan didn't work out he easily came up with another one, so why wasn't he now? What was the difference?

"Nothing. We've got nothing. They sent an energy surge to wreck our systems." The Doctor said. He had no more plans. He was hopeless, there was no way he would be able to save her now. They had no weapons. All he had was his sonic and it wouldn't be able to fix the large range blackout that was happening! He needed a new plan and soon, or else they were hopeless.

"Doctor, what was that rumble?" Rory asked confused. What did these aliens want? They insisted on taking humans. They insisted on taking his best friend. They insisted on taking out the defences and leaving them trapped and defenceless. And they insisted on leaving them in the dark where they couldn't see. These aliens were sure the smartest he's ever seen.

"It's coming through the final layer of Earth." The Doctor told the others, answering Rory's question. They were coming, they were going to try and take all of them. No, not try, they were going to get the rest of them. He still didn't have a clue about what he was going to do! He had no plan, and no weapons! He had no way of saving everyone now, no hope for rescuing Astrid. He had lost almost all his hope by now. He didn't know what he was going to do. This couldn't get any worse then it already was.

"Where's Elliot? Has anyone seen Elliot? Did he come in? Was he in when the door was shut? Who counted him back in? Who saw him last?" Ambrose frantically asked. Her son, her little baby boy was missing! Elliot was her only child! He was too young to die! Please don't let her little baby get taken too! Ambrose was scared. Elliot was her everything, she had already lost her husband, she didn't want to lose her son too. Please let him be safe. Please let him be ok. If anything happened to him she didn't know what she would do.

"I saw him last." The Doctor said guiltily, glancing down at the floor as he did. He was pitiful. Not only had he let Astrid get hurt and she was barely out of childhood, but he had let Elliot, another child get hurt as well. He was a terrible person. He was hurting children left and right now. He was glad that he didn't have any kids of his own because he'd make a rubbish dad. He'd probably get them killed too! He was truly a terrible person. He would never be able to forgive himself. He wasn't sure what was under the ground and if it was anything dangerous, never mind losing the love of his life, he had just lead two young children to their deaths.

"Where is he?" Ambrose asked the Doctor, very close to tears as they formed in the corners of her eyes. It was all his fault. She shouldn't have trusted him. He had lead a sweet little boy to his death and all he can say is that he was the last one to see him. No sorry, no I'll get him back. Nothing. He was a liar. A rubbish person. He was probably not even a Doctor. He was a monster. Killing off children, and ruining families. It looked like it didn't even bother him! He probably did this for a living! She wouldn't be surprised if he had already killed a child before today! He was a no good terrorist and she was not going to stand for it, not one bit.

"He said he was going to get headphones." The Doctor explained to Ambrose, a very guilt ridden look crossing his features. He thought it was ok. Nothing was happening at the time, and he didn't suspect that the boy lived very far, he thought the boy would get back in time! He looked a little younger then Astrid and she went out and did whatever she wanted. He thought it was alright, he wouldn't have let him otherwise! He was such an idiot. It was all his fault.

"And you let him go? He was out there on his own?" Ambrose shouted at the guilty man, a glare set in her eyes as she thought about her baby all alone out there in the dangerous dark little town. He was going to get taken she just knew it. Her baby was going to get hurt. He was going to die all because of this man. She snapped out of her nasty thoughts when she heard loud, scared shouts from outside the door. Elliot's scared shouts. She ran towards the door like any mother would, trying to save her baby from the threat outside.

"Elliot! He's out there. Help me! Push, Elliot. Give it a shove" She shouted at the young boy, trying to get him away from the pain the alien's would bring him. She banged on the wooden door, her knuckles burning from pain and turning bright red, and her throat turning hoarse and sore from the yelling. All she wanted was her baby safe and sound in her arms away from the alien threats that she felt were getting closer and closer to her child with every ticking second. Her arms grew tired and with one final yank after what felt like forever the door opened and she rushed out to find her son and save him from whatever was chasing him.

"Elliot! Where is he? He was here. He was here. Elliot!" Ambrose shouted into the chilly dark air, no reply from her only child. She ran further and further from the church, not even registering the shouts of protest from the Doctor and Amy. Then she saw it. She collapsed to the ground where his son's headphones laid, tears streaming down her cheeks as she grieved for her dead child. He was gone. Elliot was dead. Her baby. Her only child was dead. A blur quite suddenly knocked her over, snapping her immediately out of trance as she fought with the strangely shaped silhouette. She had already lost her child, she was not under any circumstances going to die too. Even if it did mean finally being with Elliot again. Mack, quickly reacting to the stranger fighting with her daughter, quickly grabbing it from behind. The stranger being extremely strong wiggled out from Mack's grip and just for good measure flicked it's extensible tongue and hurt the man's neck, quickly running off into the darkness, never to be seen again, or so they thought.

"Elliot's gone. They've killed him, haven't they?" Ambrose told the Doctor as tears streamed down her face, her hearts broken as he stared into the mysterious eyes of her son's murderer. If he hadn't let Elliot go then maybe just maybe he would still be alive and well in his mother's arms. Maybe then her father wouldn't have gotten hurt. But no. Maybe he wasn't satisfied with seeing her in pain and needed to see someone else in pain. She wasn't sure, she didn't know his life. But she saw those eyes. Those innocent emerald green eyes and they told Ambrose something else. He looked composed. He didn't even look sorry. Everything he said was a lie. He has seen death and she suspected that he was the one that had killed. The Doctor was a killer.

"I don't think so. They've taken three people when they could've just killed them up here. There's still hope, Ambrose. There is always hope." He said, mostly trying to console himself more so then Ambrose. It made sense though, if they were simply trying to prove a point the most impact would be killing them up here and then letting them see. But they had simply stolen them. It was as if they needed the humans alive. For what, he wasn't sure but it made him positive that Astrid and Elliot were still alive.

"Then why have they taken him?" Ambrose asked the Doctor, her tone wavering. If they weren't taking them to kill them, then what were they taking them under the ground for? Didn't it suffocate them and kill them on the spot? He was dead wasn't he? Or maybe he wasn't and she still had the chance to save him! This guy may have sent her son to his capture and almost death, but perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all. Ambrose still didn't trust him. But maybe just maybe he wasn't a murder. Maybe he was telling the truth and maybe he wasn't, but either way the news of her son's survival gave her hope now. It gave her the hope she needed to save her son. To protect him. She would get him back even if it meant breaking her way through dead alien corpses.

"I don't know. I'll find Elliot, I promise. But first I've got to stop this attack. Please, get inside the church." The Doctor told them, quickly motioning for Amy to help them with getting an injured Mack back into the church. He knew that she wouldn't be much help because of her guilt. She was probably spacing out and replaying the moment over and over again in her head, and she was in no condition to help them with an alien attack when she can barely concentrate long enough on the task. He watched them walk off from the corner of his eye, Amy and Nasreen supporting him and Ambrose glancing worriedly in his direction as they slowly made their way to the church.

* * *

"So what now?" Rory asked with a very astonished face. One person had been hurt, and one stolen before a plan was even put into action. They needed to act and fast. He was slowly beginning to feel uncomfortable with how the situation was panning out. They were losing and soon that would mean they would be losing Astrid too. He watched as the Doctor placed a pair of infra red sunglasses on his face and spotted a dark shape moving through the bushes, his glasses picked up the movement, and the Doctor finally realized who it was after all this time. If he was right, and he usually was with stuff like this, Astrid should be fine, for now anyways, which lifted his hopes considerably higher.

"Cold blood. I know who they are." The Doctor whispered, quickly tossing the glasses to the side, and quickly strutting off to the van where he proceeded to get a CO2 fire extinguisher. He was ready. He knew who it was. He would get them. He'd done this before. He had done such terrible things. He was a really bad person. He should stop right now and not even try to get a hostage. But he had to. He had to save Astrid. It would help him save Astrid. He was going to have to capture a hostage, but on no account was he ever going to use violence. Never again would he use violence. Something hissed nearby, knocking him out of his trance, quickly he set off the fire extinguisher, the alien hissing as the stuff hit it. Rory ran out from the van and grabbed the alien quickly pushing it inside the van and assisting the Doctor with the alien's capture.

"We got it." Rory said extremely happy as he laughed. The Doctor had caught himself a hostage. It had been executed out very well too. Which made Rory wonder, has the Doctor ever caught a hostage before? It was a silly question … the Doctor wasn't that kind of person. He was too nice to do that kind of thing. Besides, he wasn't a violent man. He would never accept what would happen to hostages in normal circumstances. It just wouldn't happen. Rory could never picture him doing that sort of thing before and he had a feeling that this time around there would be no violence tolerated. Which eased his mind a bit considering Ambrose seemed to be a very violent person.

"Defending the planet with meals on wheels." The Doctor said in a goofy tone, high fiving Rory in extreme delight. However the delight soon turned to confusion when a large rumble ran through the small town, very nearly knocking him off his feet. And that confusion sooned turned to happiness when he not only didn't fall down, but realized that the rumble only meant that the threat was leaving. Everything went according to plan, not one flaw this time. They were minutes closer to saving her. They were ready!

"Sounds like they're leaving." The Doctor said with a slight smile trying to make an appearance. It looked like his plan had worked. His plan to gain leverage over the aliens had worked. It helped tremendously that he already new what type of alien it was. Part one of his plan had worked, now all he needed was to think of part two and do a thing. Well … maybe two things depending on if the first thing didn't work. He wasn't sure what said things were yet but he'd save Astrid and the earth. He could do it! He was the Doctor after all!

"Without this one?" Rory asked the Doctor a little bit confused. They had stolen one of the aliens, wouldn't the others try to put up a fight to get her back? Didn't they care if she was home? Or was she a decoy? No, Rory was thinking too far into this. Maybe there wasn't enough of them or something, or perhaps they weren't ready to attack yet. Whatever the reason, Rory didn't care he was just glad that they were one step closer to rescuing Astrid and getting the hell out of here. Soon he would have his girl's and all of the universe. Soon she would be safe.

"Looks like we scared them off." Rory said with a small smile on his lips. They had won. They had the upper hand. The Doctor knew what they were and he hopefully knew everything about them, weakness, strengths, everything. They had their own hostage. They could bargain the hostage for Astrid. They could bring Astrid home safe. They could save Astrid. They were going to save earth. The Doctor had a plan now. They were going to win.

"I don't think so. Now both sides have hostages." The Doctor said as he looked off into the distance, watching as the energy dome became transparent letting the bright sunshine back in. They had a hostage that meant something to someone. They had an alien with family underground that wanted her back safe. The aliens on the other hand had someone that meant a lot to them. Someone that they wanted back safe, someone that he loved. They wanted back Astrid and they wanted her back now.

* * *

Smooth and bright. So very bright. It felt like she was laying on a bed of ice under the sun. She opened her eyes and blinked against the light as she took in her surroundings. She seemed to be in some sort of glass container. She placed her hand against it, her warm palm pressing against the cool glass. It didn't feel too thick from what she could tell. She didn't even know how she could tell in the first place, but hey it helped so she wasn't going to question her abilities. Maybe someone would hear her! She didn't mind lying here but it was cramped and the cold was starting to suck the heat out of her bit by bit. Soon she would be cold, and she hated being cold.

"Let me out. Can anybody hear me? Come on seriously! I know you're out there. My name is Astrid Selene and you'd better get me the hell out of here or so help me I am going to climb out myself and then i'm gonna destroy you." She threatened as she banged on the glass with her fist. She knew that someone ought to hear her and if no one did, well she would do exactly what she said she would. She would climb out herself and strangle the person nearest to her for not helping. She smiled in hope as a disoriented silhouette of a figure leaned over the glass container.

"Shush." The figure told her, popping her hope of a rescue as it walked away. She was angry now. Very angry and her dimly glowing red eyes proved that. She was pissed at the figure. Did they really just try to tell her to be quiet? While she was locked in a box?! No, No one tells her to shut up. Not even Rory can tell her to shut up! No one tells her to be quiet unless she wants to be quiet! And that is that! You never tell a woman to shut up!

"Did you just shush me? Did you honest to god just shush me?! Shush yourself jerk!" She yelled back out to the figure. Even if it wasn't going to help her escape the least she could do was teach it some manners. Nobody got away with telling her to shut up. She would slap anyone that told her to. She couldn't get her hands on the figure to slap him but the least she could do is yell at him enough to cause a headache. Her rant cut off when some smokey white gas began to enter the container. She held her breath to try and not breathe it in but alas that didn't work for long and soon she was winded.

"No, no, no. No, don't do that. I should have seen this coming. Ugh No gas. No gas!" She shouted in a last attempt to free herself. She knew it wouldn't work but the thought was nice. The last thing she heard before she passed out into darkness was herself choking on the gas.

* * *

"So, I think I've met these creatures before. Different branch of the species, mind, but all the same. Let's see if our friend's thawed out." The Doctor told the group of people. He had met something similar to the Homo Reptilia, he was friends with them and he had tried, oh he had tried so hard to save them from death. But to no avail. The Doctor was going to make up that now. He was going to save both humans and Homo Reptilia from death. This time he would rescue them all.

"Doctor, will we be able to save her." Amy asked him in a small whisper. She wanted Astrid safe. Whatever Astrid was going through down there it was her fault. Amy did not want her hurt, Rory was right she was only a kid. A kid who she did not want anything to happen to. A kid that Rory trusted and wanted to be safe. She saw the look that Rory gave Astrid. It was the same look that her Aunt always gave her. Rory wanted Astrid to always be loved and safe. And Amy was going to make sure that she got exactly that.

"Just watch me. I will not stop until she is safe within my arm's." The Doctor said, not even turning around. He wanted Astrid safe and he would make sure she was safe. He would never forgive the Homo Reptilia if she were hurt. She didn't know it yet, but she broke easy and he did not want to see her break. He was not going to see her break. He would go through hell and back again before he let that happen.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this? By yourself?" Rory questioned the Doctor. He knew that he was mad at him for the incident with Astrid. But he was still worried about the Doctor's safety. He didn't need him getting hurt too, especially since they really needed him to stop whatever was going on with these lizard alien things.

"Very sure. I need to talk to her." The Doctor answered as he opened the door. He needed to find out what was going on if he was ever going to find Astrid and the other humans and then save everyone else. The only way to get answers was to ask the hostage. That was movie 101. He was going to do this, and he was going to find out where Astrid was.

"But the sting? Won't you get hurt?" Rory asked him in a very concerned manner. Rory was worried about the Doctor. He was being reckless and Astrid wasn't here to stop him. He needed someone to stop him. He was going to literally walk into a room where an alien hostage could kill him with the sting of it's tongue. Astrid would kill him if anything happened to the Doctor.

"Venom gland takes at least twenty four hours to recharge. Am I right? I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine." The Doctor consoled Rory. Closing the door behind him as Rory left. He wasn't an idiot he wasn't going to just waltz into a room where death would await him. Well … there was that one time … and that one time when. Ok, he was that stupid. He did that a lot. The Doctor slowly walked down the stairs as the prisoner moved out of the shadows. The chains rattling like rusty wind chimes in a cold winter breeze. The Doctor approached cautiously, very clumsily setting himself into a chair.

"I'm the Doctor. I've come to talk. I'm going to remove your mask." The Doctor told the lizard like alien, very carefully removing the reptile like mask that had very big black eyes on it. He removed it to find a human like alien with scaly green skin and no hair. It was beautiful. Her eyes shone like blue crystals in the sea and her skin was as green as the beautiful not-so-lost moon of Poosh. The Doctor hadn't seen beauty like this for centuries. Well … other than Astrid and a few other select things in the universe. But the Homo Reptilia was not mediocre, that was for sure.

"You are beautiful. Remnant of a bygone age on planet Earth. And by the way, lovely mode of travel. Geothermal currents projecting you up through a network of tunnels. Gorgeous. Mind if I sit? Now. Your people have a friend of mine. A very special very good friend and I want her back. Why did you come to the surface? What do you want? Oh, I do hate a monologue. Give us a bit back. How many are you?" The Doctor said, going off on a very long ramble. He had only met Homo Reptilia once. A very bad once but it still counted. They were at war with the humans then too. He had of course saved the humans, the Homo Reptilia had offered peace since after all it had been a misunderstanding. Maybe now he could do the same thing. All he needed now was information. Then he would be able to find Astrid quicker.

"I'm the last of my species." The woman proclaimed, a very emotionless stare as she looked off into nowhere. She wasn't the best when it came to interrogations. She had past that part of her test with a sixty two percent. But she was going to pass this test. Oh she would. She wanted so badly to take part in taking their world back! She was going to beat the Doctor. She knew it was a hard feat, but she would do it. She would beat him.

"Really. No. Last of the species. The Klempari Defence. As an interrogation defence, it's a bit old hat, I'm afraid." The Doctor said regretfully, thinking of all of the Gallifreyans he had slaughtered that one terrible day. Oh, he knew what it felt like. It would ruin your hearts until someone came along and picked them back up again. Astrid was that someone. She had fixed his hearts right up until he only felt guilt and not heartbreak. She had saved him just like he had saved her. They fixed each other and made each other better. He was the last of his species, yes, but he had Astrid and to him that was all he could ask for. Everybody needed an Astrid in the world. But he had the original, and that made him smile.

"I'm the last of my species." Alaya told the man, no emotion in her voice at all. She was smart. If she played her cards right she would be freed any minute now. Then she would go back to her home underground and prepare to slaughter all of these humans. She didn't want to be left out of all of the fun! Plus, she really didn't want to worry her sister. If she was gone too long then she would become furious, and she really hated her sister when she was furious.

"No. You're really not. Because I'm the last of my species and I know how it sits in a heart. So don't insult me. Let's start again. Tell me your name." The Doctor said in pain. He knew that technically he wasn't the last. But **she** didn't count. She wasn't born on Gallifrey. She was just part Tardis. To him, she was a timelord. But if he were to be realistic that was just him trying to not feel guilty about what he had done to his home.

"Alaya." The Lizard woman told the man. Her plan had failed. She was captured, hostage, and the defence mechanism she had been taught had not fooled the man. She had no idea what to do. She was trained to pretend to be the last of the Homo Reptilia and if that didn't work and they didn't let her go, to use her poison in her tongue. She had no poison left! She had no choice but to sit here and answer the man's questions. She was defenceless.

"How long has your tribe been sleeping under the Earth, Alaya? It's not difficult to work out. You're three hundred million years out of your comfort zone. Question is, what woke you now?" The Doctor asked the woman. This was the question that had been plaguing his mind for a few minutes now. Homo Reptilia were usually hibernating underground. They rarely came out unless they were summoned. So why were these Homo Reptilia out and about? What had changed to wake them up?

"We were attacked." Alaya proclaimed angrily. The humans had already killed a half a dozen of her species she didn't need more dropping dead in front of her. It was all their fault. The Homo Reptilia had warned them. They had grown blue grass is patches where their air pockets were so the humans would know not to dig there. Obviously they had wanted to attack, otherwise they would have left the patches alone.

"The drill. So I was right, Astrid did know something about the drill." The Doctor whispered to himself. He was positive that Astrid knew what was going on. When she had glanced at that drill, he just knew it had something to do with the ground eating people. He wasn't sure how until now. It all made sense now. Aliens getting attacked, aliens fight back. Oh Astrid! She had completed the puzzle for him! That girl! That amazing girl!

"Our sensors detected a threat to our life support systems. The warrior class was activated to prevent the assault. We will wipe the vermin from the surface and reclaim our planet." Alaya said, a small victorious smile coming to her lips. They were ready. They were ready to fight. They were ready to win. Most of all they were ready to destroy the humans.

"Do we have to say vermin? They're really very nice." The Doctor said, wincing as he did. Humans were so beautiful! That's why he had humans as companions. They all had so many wonderful traits and every single human was different. They were a unique species with a loving heart. Well, most of them anyways. They were an impossible species but all the same they were amazing. Not filth or any vermin of the sort. They were wonderful.

"Primitive apes." Alaya corrected the Doctor. They were nothing more than stupid monkeys. They were using the earth for all of these silly things such as holidays and wifi. No, the earth was to be used to grow vegetation and live your life. All humans were was filth that needed to be rid of this universe. They didn't know about simple things such as family. They were all iPhones and gossip. They needed to go.

"Extraordinary species. You attack them, they'll fight back. But, there's a peace to be brokered here. I can help you with that." The Doctor told the young alien. He knew the history of the Homo Reptilia, he knew this was their home long before the humans came to exist. It wasn't their fault that they were created. Humans had so much potential and the Doctor was not going to let the Homo Reptilia take that away from them. He was not going to see humans turn into monsters because of their families being threatened. He was having none of it.

"This land is ours. We lived here long before the apes." Alaya answered back to the two hearted Doctor man. They were here right after the planet was made. They were here before humans were even created! This was their planet and they did not share. They were not going to share. They were going to take it back whether the humans liked it or not.

"Doesn't give you automatic rights to it now, I'm afraid. Humans won't give up the planet." The Doctor explained to the lizard like alien. The humans were living here now. They had been living here for such a long time. The Homo Reptilia wouldn't have noticed them if it hadn't been for that incident that he was a part of a couple years back. Long story short he learned not to kidnap egyptian kings and take them to see an alien species under the ground. Let's just say queen Neffie enjoyed the adventure, but her husband … well … he could see why he had started so many wars. That pharaoh was cross!

"So we destroy them." Alaya said flippantly. The humans were so easy to destroy with all their frail skin and the easiness of drawing their blood. They were weak and feeble. They would be able to be discarded in a heartbeat. The humans would die and her family would get what they always wanted. A new world on the surface of a planet doused in human blood.

"You underestimate them." The Doctor retaliated. The Humans looked fragile with their flesh and blood and bones. They drew blood so easily and they were as frail as china dolls. But they had the strongest defense. They stuck together with an undying love for each other. They protected each other and treated each other like family. And that was the best defense of all.

"You underestimate us." Alaya said with a glare in his direction. Her sister was a leader, she had lead their species to victory in a few dozens of wars. They were a small section of their species but they still had quite a few warriors, with the lead of her sister they would beat these humans and take back what was theirs.

"One tribe of homo reptilia against six billion humans? You've got your work cut out." The Doctor said with a bit of humor. They had no chance of winning. Humans were amazing creatures, and sadly they were really good at things such as wars. They would kill all of the Homo Reptilia and knock them out extinct. They were excellent when it came to self defense and combined with their fear of dying, they were unstoppable.

"We did not initiate combat, but we can still win." Alaya announced with a malice smile. The humans had threatened her home with their giant drills. Every time that drill was turned on their home was seconds away from being destroyed. Now her kind were going to get what they deserved. They were going to get their planet back.

"Tell me where my friend is. Give us back the people who were taken. Now." The Doctor exclaimed angrily. He wanted Astrid back and he wanted her back now. He wanted her safe in his arms making wisecracks about his driving and being the sassy young girl he knew she was.

"No." Alaya said harshly, staring at the Doctor like he was insane. She was certainly not going to be giving up their side's secrets that easily. If humans had a weakness they would find out soon. They had their best doctor dissecting the hostages and with what they learned they would win this war.

"I'm not going to let you provoke a war, Alaya. There'll be no battle here today." The Doctor told her sternly. He knew the humans were defenseless. They hadn't known that there was a whole another species under the soil that their drills were threatening. They had done nothing wrong! A war was not going to be started. No, not if he was alive and breathing.

"The fire of war is already lit. A massacre is due." Alaya said proudly. She knew what was happening and with her held as hostage, and her sister being the commander of the war there was going to be a bloodbath. Every single stupid human paying for what they had done.

"Not while I'm here." The Doctor said with an oncoming storm glare. Astrid was down there in a middle of battle prep, surrounded by the Homo Reptilia while they were at their worst. He was not going to let that happen. He was not going to let her be in the center of violence, especially not since she was just barely a teenager.

"I'll gladly die for my cause. What will you sacrifice for yours?" Alaya questioned the timelord with a sneer in her tone. She knew this man. They had legends of this man, a man that traveled the stars defeating monsters and evils in the universe. She was told as a young girl that he was the man with no weaknesses. He had a weakness. His weakness was war. Or so she thought.

* * *

"I'm going to go down below the surface, to find the rest of the tribe, to talk to them." The Doctor announced. If he had any chance of getting Astrid back he had to act and fast. Every minute that he stood here explaining was another minute that she could be closer to death. Standing up here doing nothing was not helping at all, and if he had any hope of getting her back he had to leave and now.

"You're going to negotiate with these aliens?" Ambrose asked him, confused. From what she had seen and what she had lost these aliens were not nice. They were the complete opposite of nice! It would be terribly stupid to go down there with a million of them waiting to kill you. They wouldn't negotiate with anybody, all they wanted was to steal humans. Ambrose thought the best course of action would be to fight back, not beg for them to give back the humans when they had obviously stolen them for a reason!

"They're not aliens. They're Earth-liens. Once known as the Silurian race, or, some would argue, Eocenes, or Homo Reptilia. Not monsters, not evil. Well, only as evil as you are. The previous owners of the planet, that's all. Look, from their point of view, you're the invaders. Your drill was threatening their settlement. Now, the creature in the crypt. Her name's Alaya. She's one of their warriors, and she's my best bargaining chip. I need her alive. If she lives, so do Elliot and Mo and Astrid, because I will find them. While I'm gone, you five people, in this church, in this corner of planet Earth, you have to be the best of humanity." The Doctor explained. He knew the Homo Reptilia were nothing dangerous but to him it seemed like perhaps they were attacking. It seemed to him like they were strategizing as if it were a war. He knew what that looked like, and a war for Homo Reptilia was certainly nothing nice.

"And what if they come back? Shouldn't we be examining this creature? Dissecting it, finding its weak points?" Mack asked him. This was a war. Those monster Reptilia things had taken his son in law, his grandson, and had hurt him. They needed to get even and find out their weak spots. If they found out their weak spot then they would be able to fight back. They had a hostage and now they could do exactly what the Homo Reptilia were doing. They could dissect the hostage and find out more about them. He had fought in wars before, and even though he wasn't under the soil with the hostages he knew what was happening. He had seen it happen before first hand after all.

"No dissecting, no examining. We return their hostage, they return ours, nobody gets harmed. We can land this together, if you are the best you can be. You are decent, brilliant people. Nobody dies today. Understand?" The Doctor explained. He knew as he looked around that they were decent people. He trusted that they wouldn't do anything that they would regret. At least he hope so. He picked his friend's well and if these people tried anything he knew that he could trust Amy and Rory to put them in place. Amy put him in his place almost every day so he knew that he could trust her to make sure that these people do nothing stupid. They would be fine. But the Doctor couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

"No, sorry, no. What are you lot doing?" The Doctor asked the two ladies following him. Amy and Nasreen walking confidently beside him as if he'd never notice. He was confused, why would they be following him when they should be back at the church waiting for him to return with Astrid. Why were they coming after him, did they need something? Maybe he hadn't been clear to them on what the plan was? Maybe they were confused? He didn't know, women confused him. It was the one thing Astrid told him constantly after all. So what did these two want? Astrid would know. She was a genius, and a girl. But mostly a genius.

"Obviously coming with you raggedy man." Amy answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she did. For a super intelligent alien he was a little slow today. If she was following him she was obviously going to help him. No offence to the people up here but she didn't want to stay up here and count the tiles on the ceiling as she waited for him to return. No, she was going to do something. She was going to help.

"Coming with you, of course. What is it, some kind of transport pod?" Nareen asked the man. She had seen many strange things today, she knew that if the man was going under the soil he had to have a device that was not from this world. A transport pod being the first thing to come to mind. Although, it would be a little snug. It was quite small and looked like it fit one, two people at the most. It made Nasreen wonder just who this strange Doctor man was.

"Sort of, but you're not coming with me." The Doctor said to the the woman and the fiery ginger. He had to do this alone. He didn't mind getting hurt but he was not putting other people at the same risk. Especially not when one of those people is his friend. His best friend. He was not risking Amy. Not ever.

"He's right. You're not." Mack told Nasreen, his voice firm and unmoving. He loved that woman and by gods she was not going to go under the ground with some mysterious man, to get hurt by a bunch of scaly looking monsters. He had just admitted to loving her and he was not going to lose her already. Not if he could help it!

"Yeah you're most definitely not." Rory agreed, trying to sound firm like Mack. She did not need Amy going under there too. He would be stuck up here and who knew what would happen to her without him there to stop her from being reckless. Rory couldn't lose both his soon to be wife and his best friend. His heart would not be able to take that.

"I have spent all my life excavating the layers of this planet, and now you want me to stand back while you head down into it? I don't think so." Nasreen exclaimed. All her life she had dreamt of this moment. All her life she had dreamt of finding out what was in the earth. If you dug deep enough what would you find? She always wondered and today she was going to find out. And nobody, not even a funny man with a bowtie was going to stop her. She was going whether he liked it or not.

"And I feel guilty … I'm staying with you until Astrid is safe and unharmed. No arguments." Amy announced in a serious voice. She was going to be the one to rescue Astrid. She wanted to be forgiven. She wanted Astrid to forgive her for making her go through … whatever the Homo Reptilia were doing to her. She needed it. If Astrid didn't forgive her she didn't know what she would do. If that was the case she didn't think she would ever be able to look at Astrid again. Let alone her own fiance.

"I don't have time to argue. It'll be dangerous, though." The Doctor told them. Pleading with them to stay behind. He did not need Amy getting captured too, then Rory would be furious. The man would never forgive him if he let that happen! Not a chance. Besides he was not putting Amy in danger, Amy was his best friend and he did not want to lose her.

"I go on adventures with you all the time, when is it not dangerous?" Amy asked him with surprise in her tone. They were chasing aliens twenty four seven so she didn't see much of a difference. Just because they were aliens from earth changed absolutely nothing! Everything that they did with the Doctor was going to be dangerous! He was a magnet for trouble! If they were going to save Astrid she was going with them and that was that.

"Oh, for goodness sake. All right, then. Come on." The Doctor told her, convinced that she could go. Amy was right, it was never not dangerous with him so if she wanted to come, she could come. Besides she's guilty about what had happened with Astrid. He wanted to show her that there was nothing to be guilty about. Astrid would explain it to her. Astrid was always good with that kind of stuff. He was rubbish with the humany stuff. She would set everything right again. If only they found her again. Amy's face lit up into a bright smile and she bolted off into the Tardis. She was ready. She was going to rescue Astrid. Then maybe the nagging feeling of guilt would go away.

"You better bring her back safe. Both of them." Rory told the Doctor, a stern look on his face. He wasn't that angry at the Doctor and Amy now, but he didn't want them to know that. He was just worried. Forever worried that Amy or Astrid were going to get hurt and die. Forever worried that one day they were going to go off on an adventure and one of them weren't going to return. Worried that all that awaited anyone that traveled with the Doctor was death.

"Don't worry I will. I promise Rory." The Doctor told him, a weak smile on his face as he swaggered off inside his Tardis. He knew that Rory wasn't angry anymore. He knew that Rory was just anxious for the safe return of Astrid and Amy. He was worried for Astrid too. Astrid was his future. The person that he would had known for so long. His constant companion. The only companion that never left him. The only person who kept him grounded. She needed to be ok. He couldn't think straight with the possibility of her getting hurt. It worried him to death that something had happened. He understood Rory, he understood him completely.

* * *

"Welcome aboard the Tardis. Now, don't touch anything. Very precious." The Doctor told Nasreen, gesturing around with his hands. He knew that the sight got to a lot of people but that was no excuse for them to go poking around and touching things that shouldn't be pressed! This was his Tardis after all and he was not going to allow some random stranger to go driving her when they didn't know a thing about her. That was more Astrid's thing, not his.

"No way. But, but that's, this is fantastic. What does it do?" Nasreen said, glancing around the machine in awe. She knew that this man was no ordinary man, but this, this was amazing. It was beautiful and so cool! No doubt her face looked hilarious as she glanced around. She had seen some pretty amazing things in her time, especially considering her job. But this, this just took the cake. This was the most wonderful thing she had seen in her whole life!

"Basically, she does a whole lot of smart sciency stuff that nobody understands." Amy answered the woman, watching as she looked around the Tardis in amazement. She remembered being in that woman's place. This was beautiful and she felt that feeling every single day. Everytime she walked into the console room it felt like she was walking into heaven. This was her life, and she never wanted it to change, no matter how dangerous it is. Right as she said that within her mind, like irony gone wild they were knocked off their feet a loud dull noise ringing in her ears, and stars swirling around her eyes from slamming her head on the floor.

"Did you touch something?" The Doctor asked. Not even bothering to ask if the two ladies were alright. He knew that he should have kept a better eye on the woman. She probably had touched something in her dazed state and sent them off into space or something. He knew that he should have made sure that she hadn't come, but he didn't have time to argue. Every second wasted was another second that Astrid was in danger.

"I didn't touch anything. Isn't this what it does?" Nasreen asked with curiosity in her voice. She didn't know what happened in this amazing machine. Was that humming? No, nevermind, it almost sounded like talking. Maybe her ears were just ringing from her fall. Nasreen, didn't know what to expect. She had just jumped into another world where aliens were threatening her society and blue wooden boxes were bigger on the inside. She didn't know what was normal anymore. She just didn't. The Doctor glanced at the screen, confused. If she hadn't touched it and he hadn't touched it, what was going on?

"I'm not doing anything. We've been hijacked. I can't stop it. They must've sensed the electromagnetic field. They're pulling the Tardis down into the Earth." He concluded. He knew this was good, this was more than good. They were going to be placed exactly where they wanted to be placed and he would be able to find Astrid quicker. This was going to be easy now. Much easier.

* * *

"You had to come and see me." Alaya said with a sneer. She hated these humans with a passion and now they had kidnapped her, lighting that hate up in her heart and making her angry. They said all these lies about safety to her. How they were going to make sure nothing happened to her, as if they actually cared. Humans didn't care they were pitiful, stupid creatures. No, they wanted her to suffer and die and that was exactly what was going to happen.

"We are going to keep you safe." Rory replied back to her. From what the Doctor had said, the Homo Reptilians were not harmful. He hoped that this was true because he did not want to be stuck here with one if that was the case. He had already been pushed past his limit today with losing Astrid, having Amy leave to get possibly get hurt herself, and climbing into a dirty hole meant for a dead person. He did not want to add killed by hostile alien to that list. Not yet at least.

"Your tribe are going to give us back our people in exchange for you." Ambrose further explained to the woman. She didn't like this not one bit. Her husband was missing, her own baby boy was missing, her father was hurt! And it was all thanks to this malice little creature. If it wasn't for her then her whole family would still be with her! Ambrose was angry and she wanted revenge. But she knew that this alien thing was antagonizing her and she would not be persuaded to kill.

"No. Shall I tell you what's really going to happen, apes? One of you will kill me. My death shall ignite a war, and every stinking ape shall be wiped from the surface of my beloved planet." Alaya screamed at them. She knew the apes, especially the ones standing in front of her. She knew them well. The lonely boy with a sense of loss around him like he had lost someone close to him. And those sparkly blue green eyes that looked like they had seen wonders. The loud, obnoxious girl that was desperate to get her family back. She knew. Oh she knew them so well.

"I promise you Alaya, none of us will allow that to happen." Rory answered her. He was not going to let another person get hurt. Not when this was their bargaining chip. The bargaining chip that ensures Astrid's safety. Astrid was too young to die and he was going to make sure that she got home safe. Even if it killed him in the end he would rescue her. And if that meant making sure that the bargaining chip didn't die, well he'd take it. He was a nurse after all, it shouldn't be too hard.

"I know apes better than you know yourselves. I know which one of you will kill me. You both have important people missing so who will it be? Do you know?" Alaya replied back to Rory, glancing at both of them with an accusing glare on her face. She knew that she was going to die today. She knew that she was going to die at the hands of one of these people. She knew she was going to release the monster of the human woman and that she was going to die in agonizing pain. But she also knew that with the drop of her blood would be the start of a war, and that made it all worth it.

* * *

Cold. Cold and dark. Well … other from the bright light shining down into her face and causing a headache. She opened her eyes a crack taking in her new surroundings. Yeah, she knew where she was. Oh, why did Amy always try saving people? The even better question was why the Doctor was such a magnet for trouble. Well, she didn't know but either way this was all their faults. Yeah, yeah she knows she was the one that saved Amy. She knew it was her own fault. But she couldn't let Amy go under the soil. Not only did she definitely not want her Amelia. One of her favorite people and friends, getting hurt. But also, Rory loved Amy! She had to do something for her best friend. If she hadn't saved Amy, Rory would have never forgiven her. If Amy had gotten hurt then he would have hated her just as much as the other two did. Astrid had saved Amy for Rory.

"Don't struggle. Close your eyes and don't struggle." The young man that she knew to be Mo told her. Oh she remembered this part and she remembered it well. This was why she had saved Amy. She didn't want the possibility of her getting hurt. And if she remembered correctly Rory had been really, really upset that Amy had been taken and if anything had happened, well let's just say that she did not want her best friend on her bad side. She had done everything in her power to stop Amy from getting hurt to make Rory happy and she had succeeded. But unfortunately it meant a few unpleasant consequences for her.

"Great it's this lovely part. I remember this part well. So then, enlighten me what are they gonna do?" She asked the man, already well knowing what was going on and what would happen. She always loved this part because of how mouthy Amy was to the lizard doctor. Well now the roles were switched. She had done an excellent job and had actually done something with her knowledge. Her prize was being locked up on a cold metal table underground, and being mouthy to a lizard alien doctor. What an excellent prize! Oh, and don't forget … She got to watch a lizard man nearly cut her open and dissect her! What grand fun! This was all just whacked up! She knew what curiousness did to a person, but that gave them no right to go cutting people open. That wouldn't stop the Homo Reptilia. Oh this was gonna be a ball!

"Decontamination, they call it. They did it to me while I was conscious." The man answered her. To be honest she didn't know what would happen. She was here and that was a huge change of events. He knew what would happen since she was here. Anything could change now, anything. She had changed the events of history. She had literally rewritten time. She knew time was precious, that it was not to be messed with. But she wasn't a timelord, she couldn't tell if something was fixed or flux.

"Alright, that's a little vague. Did what?" Astrid asked him. She knew that in the show he had been cut open, but who knew, that could have all changed by now. Everything was unpredictable and it was all because of her. To be honest this made her frightened. She hated change. She was scared of change. Astrid liked things the way they were. She liked being here, in fact she loved it. But that didn't make her feel any differently about change. She wanted everything to freeze so nothing would ever change. But she knew, She knew so well. Everything has to move on, everything has to change.

"Dissected me." He whispered to her, showing her a very long, raw scar that went from his sternum to his navel. He looked at her pained as if he was sorry for her, the look clearly sympathetic. He knew that these lizard things were monsters, but stealing a child and cutting them open! That was horrific! She had to be just a few years older then his son, and just the thought of her getting hurt really got to him. This was not right. Not in the least. He couldn't save her, but he could certainly try and help ease the pain. Astrid looked at the scar, a very sad expression on her face as she looked on. Her eyes glowing a dull blue yet again as an overwhelming sadness took over her heart. She tried to look away, but the sight captivated her. Pulling her in. After a few moments of unbearable silence, she snapped out of her trance. She looked into the man's eyes and her whole demeanor changed. This was not right. Not in the least. They had stolen a man from his child and then sliced him open. She was not going to stand for this! She looked into his eyes, a fire in her own as the dim glow in them flickered from blue to red.

"Great! Lovely! Awesome! Bloody Fantastic! Oh look, that's new I'm talking british now. I'm so angry I'm actually speaking in a different accent." Astrid yelled as she tried to break out of metal binding. She was furious now. They had hurt a nice man. A man that had a family and a job. A man that did nothing wrong. They had abducted him and hurt him. She didn't care what happened to her now. She just wanted to get this man out safe not matter what happened to her. She would save him with her last breath. It wasn't because she was angry or upset. Or because he had been hurt. It was because he was an ordinary man. And that man had tried to help her. He was special and he would be saved.

"He's coming. I'm sorry. I wish I could help you." Mo said, as off in the distance footsteps were heard resounding off the walls. He wanted to save the young child. He wanted to so much but he couldn't. As a parent he wanted to save her from the pain and sadness. He wanted to save her from all the hurt and suffering. But he couldn't and it was slowly eating away at him. It wasn't even his own kid and yet he felt like he needed to save her. He had failed. He had failed the young girl and he felt guilty for her upcoming suffering.

"It's not your fault. Not one bit. And I promise you, I will get you out of this alive." Astrid whispered to Mo. Her head held high and her lips set in a thin line. She stared down the lizard doctor as he entered the room with a scalpel, coming ever closer to her with every step. She was not going to back down. She got to sass a lizard man after all. She was not going to break down and cry even though she felt the tears building up in her eyes. She felt some sort of empathetic emotion to Mo and she just wanted to burst into to tears, crying for what was done to him. The doctor got closer step by step by step and she held her ground, not showing any emotion whatsoever. She was brave, and strong, and very very angry. Astrid was fearless.

* * *

"We're looking for a small tribal settlement probably housing around a dozen Homo Reptilia. Maybe less." The Doctor told them as he looked around underground. He knew that the quicker that they found the Homo Reptilia, the quicker they would find Astrid. If she were still alive of course. While the Doctor had paused, thinking of what could have happened with Astrid, Nasreen and Amy had been walking down a side passage.

"No Doctor, really, one small tribe?" Amy replied surprised. She knew that he was busy thinking of ways to save Astrid, but what he had said had been a huge miscalculation. There were certainly not a dozen. Not at all. She went over to the Doctor and grabbed his hand, leading him over to the sight so he would understand what they were telling him. Overlooking the ledge was tons upon tons of little house shaped objects.

"Ok, um, Maybe more than a dozen. Maybe more like an entire civilisation living beneath the Earth." The Doctor said staring at the sight before him. Finding Astrid was going to be harder than he thought. A lot harder.


	5. Ch 5: Cold Blood Pt 1

"This is the story of our planet, Earth. Of the day a thousand years past when we came to share it with a race know as Humanity. It is the story of the Doctor and Astrid, who helped our races find common ground, and the terrible losses the Doctor suffered. It is the story of our past and must never be forgotten."

* * *

"This place is enormous and deserted. The majority of the race are probably still asleep. We need to find Astrid. I'm looking for heat signature anomalies." The Doctor said distractedly as he peered around the area. Quickly placing his attention to his sonic screwdriver as it whired to life, trying all the while to trace his lovely Astrid. They had made it, even if it was by accident. They had made it! He could feel Astrid, she was close. He knew she was. All he needed now was to find a way to her. Then everything would be alright, then he would rescue her.

"I'm no scientist but shouldn't the vegetation be dead down here?" Amy asked as she picked up a leaf from the floor and twirled it between her fingers. She wasn't an alien genius that knew everything about anything like the Doctor was, or a fancy scientist with a PHD, but she had common sense and a high school degree, and both told her that vegetation should be dead down here. Perhaps it was some alien thing, maybe the alien's had some sciency growth thingy and it made the plants have a stable environment down here. Ugh, or maybe she spent too much time listening to the Doctor blabber.

"Must be getting closer to the centre of the city." The Doctor told Amy, barely even registering the question. Everything was just background chatter, his mind running at incredible speeds trying to find his Astrid, nothing else comprehending to the man. He was still staring at his sonic that was showing no result whatsoever, concentrating on his Astrid, begging his trusty sonic to lead him to her. He needed her safe, all of time could depend on it. If her timeline was rewritten then all of time and space would cease to exist. Nevermind all of time and space, if her timeline were to be rewritten today, he would have never met her. He would have never met his Astrid. If time were rewritten he would have never fallen in love.

"You're sure this is the best way to enter?" Nasreen asked hesitantly. If they had been pulled under the earth by some unknown force, maybe they expected them to come in through the front door. Perhaps they were waiting for them to enter so they could attack them. Nasreen wasn't sure, but either way, the front door approach was never a good option.

"Front door approach. Definitely. Always the best way." The Doctor assured Nasreen, finally looking up from his sonic and walking towards the door. He was sure Astrid was behind that door, she was somewhere behind that door, he could feel it. He could feel her presence. She couldn't feel his yet but he could feel hers. It was a faint trace as if it had just developed, but it was there. She was here and she was angry, angry and tired. He was going to get her. He was going to find her. He was going to save her. He pulled the door open only to have a really loud alarm sound. If the alien's hadn't known they were here they sure would now.

"Hostile life forms detected area seventeen." A loud computer screeched, causing Nasreen to jump from surprise. She knew this was a bad idea. There was no way that the alien's would bring them down here, to only ignore their presence. She had a feeling something nasty was about to go down. She had a feeling that they were coming. The alien's were coming. The front door approach was not good at all, not one bit.

"Apart from the back door approach. That's also good. Sometimes better." The Doctor told Nasreen, also getting a creeping suspicion that something bad was going to happen. He glanced around trying to calculate a plan to find Astrid and get them out of there before something happened. His head hurt him as he thought, there was so much that he needed to do in such a small amount of time. Not only did he need to find and rescue Astrid, he also needed to stop a war and bring peace to humans and Silurians alike. He needed to save the world. But what to do now? How to escape? Where to go in the maze of twisting hallways? Which one room held his Astrid? Too many questions but so little time. What would he do? Could he really save them all?

"Hostile life forms detected area seventeen." The Computer screeched again, the Doctor glancing around the room for what was making the horrid noise. He watched as a door opened, a group of Silurians all decked out in their warrior armour approaching them, a blaster gun thing in their hands as they surrounded them from all sides.

"We're not hostile. We're not armed. We're here in peace." The Doctor said frantically to the Silurians, trying to get them to see reason. He glanced around with a defeated look on his features. There was no hope, they would be taken in as prisoners and Astrid would have no hope of a rescue. They were going to be captured. Astrid would be all alone. He had failed Astrid. He had failed her. It was the last thought that coursed through the Doctor's head as a warrior Homo Reptilia stepped forward and gassed him with her gun, his body hitting the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"Don't aim that thing at me." Astrid said with a huge amount of sass in her voice. This alien lizard thing may think that he was going to have an easy time with her, but he certainly had another thing coming. She was going to give him hell. She going to be all horns and no halo. She'd bite and punch and scream, and kick up a fuss. She was not going to get dissected without a fight! The scientist, watching the young girl wiggle and fight against the restraints picked up his audio recorder, taking notice of the young girl's bare arms and legs.

"From the clothing, the human female appears to be more resistant to the cold than the male." The scientist said into the recorder. He was cautious of dissecting the young child but he had no choice. He had asked for a female specimen and this was what was given to him. Restac was already angry that her sister Alaya hadn't shown up yet, if Malohkeh asked for another specimen she'd snap at him, and he was in no hurry to be snapped at. A girl was a female and a girl would have to do, no matter how much he hated himself after it.

"I dressed for Rio! Well, it was because the Tardis made me, she wouldn't let me leave until I was wearing shorts." Astrid said annoyed, thinking about that morning. She had been just about ready to go, she had showered, she had eaten, all she had yet to do was change out of her silky turquoise pajamas and into actual clothing. When she had gone to the wardrobe to find something warmer, knowing where they would be landing, there was nothing in the wardrobe except for shorts! She had begged and pleaded the Tardis for some jeans, even threatening the old girl that she wouldn't even change, and that she would simply go out in her PJ's. But nothing seemed to work! Everything that she had pulled out of the wardrobe were shorts and tank tops. So after wasting enough time she had finally put on some black shorts with grey tights, and a green tank top as well as a black short cut leather jacket that at least added some warmth to her apparel. It hadn't done much good so far, but she was glad she had some layers on, even if it was barely any.

"Leave her alone. You've got me." Mo, the man next to her exclaimed, frightened for the poor child, as he begged for her to be set free. No one should have to experience the pain he had gone through, especially not a child. Children were innocent, they were pure, and he didn't want to take the young girl's purity and innocence away from her. He wanted her to be ok. He didn't want her to get dissected, but it looked like he was out of luck as Astrid's wrists were clamped tighter. Astrid looked at the scientist, A fire burning in her eyes as they burned a dull red, looking at the man with bravery in her soul. She was mad at the man for what he was going to do, and what he had done to Mo. She wasn't going to scream or cry. She wasn't going to beg to be let go. They wanted her to act like an adult, she would act like an adult. But she would make him guilty. She would show him his nightmare, she would show him himself.

"Decontamination complete. Commencing dissection." Malohkeh said into the recorder, lifting up the girl's shirt. Trying at the same time to not stare into her eyes. He knew that if he even glanced at her eyes then the guilt would surely eat him alive. He grabbed his scalpel, and made a cut at the chest, making her grip her hands into the chair until they turned white. She bit her lip, just barely drawing blood, trying not to scream out as the scalpel made it's way down to her belly button every ticking second, her own blood spilling out of her and trickling down her stomach in perfect drops of crimson red. It wasn't much blood because she was lying down, but the pain was unbearable. It felt like she had laid down on a bed of spikes. Like something was trying to force it's way into her. The air breezing over her open wound and the cold air mixing with her blood, making it burn through it like a flame licking at her skin. She was weak. Her body turning white, as if the energy was being sucked out of her. She was as frail as a china doll and her skin had goosebumps where the damp icy air had danced across her bare skin. The dull glowing of red in her eyes dimming and changing into a grey color, her eyes quickly losing the sparkle in them that made Astrid who she was. Time slowing down so she experienced the excruciating pain for what felt like forever. The blade was halfway to its mark now, and the pain was getting harder and harder to breathe through.

"Area Seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested. Area Seventeen incursion. Species diagnostic requested." An announcement suddenly exclaimed, cutting into the quiet, guilt ridden air. Malohkeh sighed with relief, this was his chance. He quickly took out the blade, avoiding the girl's eyes as best as he could. As fast as he could he ran out the door, going to the requested area, slamming the door behind him as he tried to leave the guilty feeling behind him. Astrid took a deep breath, trying to push herself past the pain. This was not how it happened in the show. Astrid was very glad she had saved Amy, if she hadn't Amy would have been half cut open by now!

"God that hurt more then watching it." Astrid said, a rushing pain crushing over her now that the blade had been removed from her. She opened her hand slowly, the pain weakening her movement as she opened her grasp around what she was holding. When she opened her hand she was revealed to be holding the restraints control, a small relieved smile gracing her lips. She quickly freed Mo, and after that released herself, not standing up quite yet, afraid that she would collapse from the overwhelming pain that would attack her as soon as she moved.

"At least this part still went to plan. Ow!" She gasped out as she finally stood, not wanting to waste anymore time. The pain twisted through her stomach and traced over skin as if taunting her. Blood soaking through her pretty green shirt as she grasped her stomach, trying her best not to scream. Tears building up in her eyes as she clutched at her wound.

"Are you okay?" Mo asked concerned for the young girl's well being. She had been cut open, and she was bleeding out. She looked in terrible pain, it looked like anguish to even stand let alone walk. She needed help and fast. She needed a Doctor.

"Come on, before he gets back. I'm fine." Astrid assured the man as she closed her eyes tightly and let out a deep breath, immediately beginning to try to walk. The first few moments hurt her so much as the pain twisted inside her body, but after a couple minutes of walking the pain slowly changed into a dull pain and she got used to walking normally with an open wound. Mo noticed this and his concern quickly melted away like snow on a hot day, his concern soon turning into confusion.

"That creature, do you think it was an alien? Any more of them, do you think? Do you think the Earth's been invaded?" He rapidly asked the young girl. He suspected that the alien had friends and family, there was no way he was able to capture humans all by himself when he looked so old. This was just like the London invasions that they said were a hoax. Well, Mo knew better now, aliens were real, and those hoaxes were probably real aliens too. So the question was, if aliens existed, then how many were down here now?

"They're homo reptilia and they owned the earth before you. It's really hard to explain, but fortunately for you I know a wonderful man who can explain it better. I wonder where this leads." She told Mo, a sassy smile on her face as she did. Being the idiot he was the Doctor had probably been captured like in the show. She certainly wouldn't put it past him. And if Astrid knew Amy as well as she knew the Doctor, she knew that Amy had come with the timelord. Amy looked extremely guilty that Astrid had been the one falling into the earth when Amy should have been. Amy wasn't going to be happy until she saw her safe, and she knew that. And Rory, poor Rory, he probably thought that she was dead. He would surely hate her for what she had done. Snapping herself out of her little thinking spree, she quickly slammed her hand against the button on the wall panel. She already knew what was behind that door, but Mo needed it. He needed to see him and see that he was safe. The screen lit up and the area behind the door was bathed in a white light, showing none other than sweet little Elliot standing inside a stasis alcove. Innocent little Elliot she had always wanted to meet.

"Oh, my God, no. What've they done to him? He's in there. We have to get him out. Elliot? Elliot, it's Dad." Mo exclaimed panicked as he stared at his little boy. It was Elliot. His poor little Elliot. He hoped with all his might that he hadn't been dissected, or worse killed. This was crossing the line, these aliens had hurt an innocent little girl, dissected him, and stole his little boy and had done who knows what with him. He slammed against the panel, trying to break past the one thing keeping him from his son. Desperate to save his son from whatever hell the aliens had brought upon him.

"Stop. Just pause for a second. These screens, they're monitoring vital signs, heartbeats, pulses. He's still alive." Astrid explained to Mo, trying to calm the man down. He was desperate and Astrid understood that. She knew the feeling so well herself that it was second nature to her. Rory … he was going to die. At the end of today he would be dead and she would forget him. She would forget her best friend. The person she trusted the most would die, and it was slowly breaking her heart. She was desperate to save Rory, to keep him safe and out of harm's way. To make sure that he wasn't hurt or in pain. In her world she always felt that Rory was ignored, that no one gave him the credit he deserved. He was the underdog. But for her he was the hero. He promised to keep her safe, he was the sweet, charming guy that anyone would love to marry. Astrid was going to flip the tables. Today she was going to rescue him.

"All right. We find weapons, get that creature from the lab and force it to release Elliot, yeah?" Mo said, trying to ease his worry by planning out what to do to rescue his son. He wanted his son safe. He needed his son safe. It was his only son. His only child. His baby boy. If he lost Elliot he'd never forgive himself. If the aliens had hurt his son he'd never forgive them.

"Trust me. We'll get him out. Well … Eventually." Astrid assured Mo. She knew that if this was anything like in the episode and nothing horrible changed then Mo would get Elliot back soon. If something did change however … she didn't know what to expect. Elliot didn't look hurt, he looked just like he did in the show. Geez … she really needs to stop comparing this to the show. This was real life. Oh my gosh! This was real life! She knew the Doctor! She knew Amy, and Rory was her best friend! She was traveling through time and space and she was only fourteen! This was finally all sinking in now. She lived a life of danger. This wasn't a dream where she had an infinite amount of lives, this was serious. Astrid was bleeding out. She was dying, and unlike her dreams, she wouldn't come back to life.

* * *

"You lied. You told us you were the police." Ambrose yelled at the man that she once thought not too long ago to be a bumbling idiot from the CID. He had outright lied to them, he was using her to find out what was going on. She was used! If anything he was worse than a cop. A cop may poke their nose in your business and ask too many questions, but this man … this stupid, ordinary man thought he had the right to walk onto her property and tell her rubbish just so she would follow him into this nonsense that got her son taken. He had no right!

"It was a misunderstanding." Rory meekly explained to Ambrose, a hint of sass in his tone. Astrid was really rubbing off on him, and big time. It had been a misunderstanding though, and it annoyed him that she felt the need to play the blame game and yell at him about it. She was the one that had said that he was the police, he only went along with it in hopes that he could help Ambrose with her problem. If this was what playing hero felt like then he didn't plan on playing hero again for a long time. Rory wondered if this was what happened to the Doctor. Did he always have people yelling at him and blaming him for something that was clearly not his fault? Did he ever have unhappy mothers yelling at him for hurting their children, blaming him for something clearly not in his control? Well, he hoped not because from what Rory was listening too right now it was not fun, not one little bit.

"Who are you? You and the Doctor and that ginger haired woman? Why is this happening to us? What did we ever do?" Ambrose asked, anger clearly in her voice as she shouted at Rory, staring at him like she wanted to slap him. This was insane! What terrible thing had her family done to deserve something as hurtful as this. What had she done to have her child taken away from her. Her baby that she was almost positive was dead, or close to it anyways. She wanted her little Elliot back!

"The Doctor'll get your son back, I promise. In the meantime, we take turns guarding the creature." Rory answered, trying his best to calm the crazed woman down. She was hurt. She thought her child was dead and she was upset. He knew this feeling so well that to him it was like an instinct. Astrid was down there too. His best friend, who was also a child. A child very close to Elliot's age. He was scared that something would happen to her, that when he went down there his worst fear would be true. Astrid or Amy would be dead and he wouldn't be able to save them. He wasn't with them, he didn't know what condition she was in, his job was up here. He needed to make sure that their hostage stayed alive and unhurt, that way everyone would be returned safely. That way nobody would get hurt, Astrid and Amy would be safe and in his arms traveling the universe with him hand in hand.

"Oh, so that's it? We just sit and wait." Ambrose asked Rory sarcastically. She wanted her family back now, even if it meant digging her way under the ground and killing everyone alien and making her way past their fallen corpses. She was going to get boy back. She was going to get her husband back, not watch some stupid alien that was part of the reason her family had been taken!

"Then we exchange her for your family. I promise you, Ambrose, I trust the Doctor with my life. We stick to his plan. We keep that creature safe." Rory assured the woman, explaining to her the plan that the Doctor had told him. It was simple, all they had to do was be civil to Alaya and keep her safe, it wasn't too hard. Then he would get Astrid back. Then he could see her smile again, and make her laugh, and share stories with her. He could create new memories with his best friend. And when she was brought back safely Rory swore that with everything he had he would keep her safe and never let her get hurt again. He wouldn't let her get hurt even if it killed him. He would keep her safe and make sure she lived to see the day that she became the Doctor's true love. He would keep her alive. He would comfort her and help her through her tough times, but most of all he would love her when no one else did. He would tell her she was beautiful, he would sing her to sleep if she had another nightmare, and he would be there for her when no one wanted to be. But he couldn't do any of that until she was safe. Not until she was alive and well and not until he saw her with his own eyes. Not until she was here.

* * *

Meanwhile deep below the earth in a room filled with medical equipment, a green light was scanning the Doctor making him flinch as the pain crashed through his body in waves. Whatever was scanning him was bad for him, and it hurt.

"How can they have escaped? This proves all prisoners should remain under military guard." The Doctor heard a female silurian tell another, authority present in her tone. Astrid and Ambrose's husband! They must have escaped! That genius girl! Even as a child she was as smart as him, plus that confirmed that she was alive and well! This was amazing. This was bloody fantastic! He was over the moon at this news. Well technically someone couldn't be over the moon, unless of course you were talking about the moon of Adipose three, one of their tourist attractions was a catapult that could launch you over their second moon and to the other side of the planet.

"I'm sure you'd prefer to be in charge of everything and everyone, Restac, but we rank the same. Is there any word from Alaya?" The Doctor heard the male silurian reply to the woman. Alaya must be her sister, they do sound awfully similar, if he wasn't in so much pain he would have caught on to that earlier. She must be really worried, he knew that he was when his family was in danger. So the question was, how come she hadn't sent an army after her sister yet? She sounded like she had the power to command the warriors as she please, but why hasn't she?

"No, not a word not yet." Restac replied back to the man, anger in her voice. To be honest she was really angry at her sister and at the vermin humans for her not being back yet. She was smart enough to not get caught and yet she had gone and gotten caught anyways. She was an extremely good fighter and she could have easily killed her captors, so what she wanted to know is why Alaya hadn't. What was stopping her?

"It's fine to show concern, you know. She's part of your gene-chain. I'm decontaminating now." Malohkeh explained with a solemn tone. To be quite honest he was worried about Restac. Her sister could be hurt or even killed, yet she showed no concern for her younger sibling. He knew that she thought emotions to be a weakness especially in war. But no emotion over her sister being missing! It was like she didn't care about what happened to her sibling. Like all that mattered was war. No, Restac was wrong, she would understand soon. No matter how much he hated to admit it he knew something horrible was coming, and in the middle of all that Alaya would be hurt, she would see that war is not the only important thing. She would understand when Alaya died.

"Decontamination? No, no, no." The Doctor protested, his eyes now open wide as he tried to escape from the table he was handcuffed to. The decontamination started up and he cried out in pain as it shocked through his body, slowly killing him every single minute it rushed through his body. This is how he dies? And so early in this regeneration too! This was worse then the radiation poisoning that his last body had endured! The shocks of pain wrapped around his body strangling him with overwhelming pain. A slight layer of sweat coating his forehead as he got weaker. His strength slowly leaving him and his eyes slowly losing the sparkle of wonderment and curiosity that made him who he was.

"It's all right, it won't harm you. I'm only neutralising all your ape bacteria." Malohkeh told the male. Decontamination was a very nonviolent process, this man shouldn't even feel anything. Yet he was screaming out in pain. His eyes stared back at Malohkeh as if questioning him, making Malohkeh remember the poor girl's eyes. They had the same glare, as if asking him why he was doing this. As if in one single glance they were guilting him for doing what he had done. It was the same look that she had on her face. The same glare as he cut her open making her bleed as she bit her lip in pain. The same glare she had as he killed her slowly.

"I'm not an ape. Look at the scans. Two hearts. Totally different. Totally not ape! Remove all human germs, you remove half the things keeping me alive." The Doctor explained as he fought back the urge to just give up and let himself die. As if by magic, a second later the pain released him, a relieved breath escaping his lips as he watched Malohkeh turn off the decontamination machine. He closed his eyes letting the pain glide off his body as his strength returned and the sweat left his body, absorbing back into his skin like water into a sponge. He wasn't going to die. Not today, and certainly not by decontamination. He was alive, and he would find Astrid. Wherever she is, no matter how far she'd run he'd always find her. Always.

"Oh, that's much better, thanks. Not got any celery, have you? No. No, not really the climate. Tomatoes, though. You'd do a roaring trade in those. I'm the Doctor. Oh, and there's Nasreen and Amy. Good." The Doctor said as he looked over at the other two women that were slowly beginning to wake up. Everything was turning out for the better. So what if they had been gassed and taken in for decontamination, they seemed to be on good terms now with the Silurians. Now he just needed to find Astrid. Where would she be? She was so much smarter then him, and she knew what was going on, so where was she hiding? Wait a minute, if she knew it was silurians why did she look so scared? Why did she look so frightened? Silurians weren't scary, so what had made her so upset of going under the ground? Those questions would have to wait until later. He'd ask her after all of this mess, he'd find out. But now he needed to focus on finding her.

"Oh, a green man." Nasreen said surprised as she stared at Malohkeh. Never in her wildest dreams has she ever suspected that little green lizard people lived under the earth. That under all the soil and rock was a whole civilisation that she could have killed with her drill. The Doctor had been right, the ground was stopping her from drilling. The lizard people were stopping her from killing them by controlling the earth. The lizard people were just defending their species. What she was seeing right now was amazing, and she was so thankful that the Doctor had come in when he had, even it did cost him his friend in the end.

"Hello. Who are you?" The Doctor questioned the really angry looking female Silurian standing behind the one that had released him. He didn't understand why she was angry. Sure her sister had been taken hostage by them, but shouldn't she be worried then? Why did she look at him like she would rather have him dead then here breathing? Why did it look like she wanted to shoot him dead? The even better question was, why did she hate the humans so much?

"Restac, Military commander." Restac snarkily answered back to the man. She hated his guts. He had to be the one that had kidnapped and killed her sister. It had to be. He was the Doctor. They were raised with stories of him and his magical blue box. The timelord with two hearts. The man who killed all the Daleks extinct with the press of a button, the man who made people ill with just the mention of his name. He was the killer of species. He was a murder, the best warrior there ever was. He was the beast, the valeyard, the man with no mercy, the devil himself. And he was here. He had killed her sister and he had come to kill her too. Hell had arrived.

"Oh dear, really? There's always a military, isn't there?" The Doctor said with mock surprise. He wasn't a complete idiot he knew that since they were fighting a war that the warrior section of the Silurians would be awake. The sad part was that there always was a military. In every species on every world that ever lived, there was a patch of warriors that killed for their cause. He was once one of them himself, and he swore to himself he would never be one again. Killing was not an answer to anything, violence never ends violence. Yet no one is smart enough to realise it until it is too late. Until their worst fear becomes themselves and they regret being alive. No one understands it until they see who they have become, a monster.

"Your weapon was attacking the oxygen pockets above our city." Malohkeh explained to the man. They had lost six of their kind already, six of his friends that had gotten just a little too close to the cracked oxygen pockets. There did not need to be another death, yes that was true, but Restec did not need to wage war on the humans who didn't know what they were doing. That would just turn it into a bloodbath. He had friends that were humans and he knew what fear did to them, if Restac waged war because of a drill the Silurian species would become extinct in less than twenty four hours.

"Oxygen pockets, lovely. Ooo, but not so good with an impending drill. Now it makes sense." The Doctor exclaimed happily. This was the final piece of the puzzle! Restac was the military leader and her sister was being held as a hostage. Alaya had said that she would die for her cause and that it would cause a bloodbath. Her cause was killing all the humans, and her dying would make Restac revengeful. With that feeling of revenge will bring the death of all the humans. Restac would bring the bloodbath that will not only kill a bunch of humans but will bring extinction to the Homo Reptilia. All because the drill had been invading their space. He had figured it out and he needed to stop it. He needed to stop it now!

"Where is the rest of your invasion force?" Restac asked the violent Doctor man. In the stories she had been told about him he always had companions, strategically picked friends that were used for their strengths. The man who never died, the woman with the fiery red hair that saved twenty seven planets from being used as a converter, the woman named after a flower that came from a different universe to kill all the Daleks. The doctor lady that became a soldier, walking the earth to kill the crazy Master timelord. He had to have more then just a curious old lady and a stupid orange haired stripper girl. Where were they? Who was he hiding?

"Invasion force. Me and Amy and Nasreen? No. We came for the humans you took. And to offer the safe return of Alaya. You and she, what is it, same genetic source? Sisters perhaps? Of course you're worried, but don't be, she's safe." The Doctor explained to the woman, trying to assure her that her sister was not hurt in any way. What was she talking about, Invasion force? They were no invasion force. He just wanted his Astrid back. He just wanted her safe in his arms. He would never attack the Homo Reptilia. He wasn't a violent man. In fact he was down here to offer a peace treaty between the humans and Silurians. He was never going to harm them, so why did she call them an invasion force? Did he look threatening, because he found that no one listened to this incarnation's face, he just looked too young to be taken seriously. So why did Restac think he was down here to attack?

"You claim to come in peace, but you hold one of us hostage." Restac snarled at the man. That's how every story of the man would start. Offering peace and wellness and a second chance and then killing everyone in his path. He was no hero and he certainly wasn't here to offer them peace. He just didn't know how wrong he was. He was here to kill them. He was going to offer them a second chance and then he was going to turn around a kill her race extinct. Well, he wasn't going to get that chance. She was going to kill him. She was going to kill the Doctor dead.

"Wait, wait, we all want the same thing here." The Doctor pleaded, not knowing what the angry Silurian would do. She was mad at him, and she was a woman, she had the power to do anything. They both wanted something. He wanted the earth to be safe, and Astrid to be unharmed. Restac wanted her species and her sister to be safe and unharmed. They both wanted similar things! Was Restac's anger blinding her so much that she couldn't see that?

"I don't negotiate with apes. I'm going to send a clear message to those on the surface." Restac said, glaring at the Doctor as he stared at her with grief in his sparkling emerald eyes. Restac had a plan, she would kill him before he had the chance to kill her. She would murder the poor Doctor. He would get what he deserved after all these years! All his life he had done wrong to millions of other species, not even batting an eye as he swaggered back to his blue machine, heading to the next species on his kill list. She would end it, she would kill him.

"And what message is that?" The Doctor asked, panic in his voice. Whatever Restac was going to do it was not good. Something bad was going to happen. He just knew that whatever Restac was planning it was going to be terrible. She was hurt and angry and whatever her message was it wasn't going to be anything nice.

"The message is of your execution." Restac replied to the Doctor, hate in her voice as she glared at him. Even if no one had been able to kill him yet, she would. He would be the first blood of the war. He loved the humans so much, well he would get to die with them.

* * *

"These chambers are all over the city." Astrid exclaimed as she lit two up, smirking in satisfaction. She already knew they contained silurians and those silurians would give them the weapons they needed to rescue the Doctor, or try to rescue him anyways. She wasn't going to rescue him. No, that wasn't part of the plan. She was going to get captured in an attempt to rescue them. This was going to pan out just like the show, she would make sure it did. If she rescued him then Mack wouldn't come underground and get saved, and Rory wouldn't. She couldn't even say it anymore. She wouldn't accept it. She was in denial now. Rory would not get hurt. But he had to die, it was a fixed point. If he didn't he wouldn't turn into a plastic Roman soldier, if he didn't turn into a plastic Roman he wouldn't save Amy. If Rory didn't save Amy then everything that happened in the big bang episode would change and Amy and Rory would cease to exist. But fixed points can be rewritten right? All she had to do was die in Rory's place and then she could do everything Rory had done. She slowly dying from blood loss anyways. All she had to do now was wait for Restac to try to shoot the Doctor. She could save Rory now. All she had to do was die.

"Urgh. Turn it off, quick. They're not moving." Mo told the young girl, disgusted with the aliens. They had stolen his boy. They had cut him open to study his insides, and they had cut open a young girl, not even bothering to stitch her open wound up. They were nothing but monsters, nothing more and nothing less. They hurt people. They tore families away from each other, and they didn't even care. They were disgusting, they deserved death.

"Their in stasis. It's totally fine." Astrid said in enjoyment. As if to prove her point she opened up the chamber and went inside. She stood there amazed at the species in front of her. This wasn't a person in a costume like in her universe. It was an actual Silurian with actual green scales as skin. They were born this way. She was looking at an actual Silurian, and it was beautiful. She stared at the sleeping creature in wonderment, sparkles of curiosity brimming in her eyes like stardust in the night. They were just so perfect, so pretty in her eyes. And it was wonderful! The universe may have a lot of bad stuff in it like war and hate, but it also had the amazingly good things to balance it out. The universe was dark and light, yin and yang, good and bad, but in the end, the universe was awesome.

"Hey look. Weapons. Come on, now we can fight back." Mo told the girl stealing two of the disc weapons from the warriors. He quickly left the chamber, frantically pulling Astrid with him. They had alien gun things and now they would be able to fight back. Now he would be able to kill them all for hurting him and his son. Now he'd be able to kill them for killing this sweet little girl. Now he'd find his wife. Now he'd get revenge.

"Which way now?" he asked Astrid. She was smart for a kid. A genius in fact. She knew things that not even he knew, she had knowledge that was out of this world. She knew everything about anything and it scared him to pieces. She could think of a million ways to kill the aliens in seconds, yet she hadn't. So why didn't she? What was stopping her?

"Door at the end." Astrid said as she thought it over in her head. To be quite honest her head was really messed up now. There was so many voices in her head screaming at her, millions of images gliding past her brain all giving her a possible escape route. Millions of memories of watching this episode swiping past faster than light, and a picture, a picture of the Doctor always constant in her head. A picture that gave her hope, a picture that urged her to move, to save the idiot and screw her stupid plan of getting captured, a picture that kept her content and happy even through all the pain. Her Doctor, even if he was an idiot and a pain in the backside. He was her pain in the backside. All she had to do now was find the idiot.

"Are you sure? Mo asked her. He was skeptical of her now. How could she know where to go down here when she was a human from the top? Was she even human or was she a trap? No, if she was a trap they wouldn't have fatally wounded her. But how did she know all about the alien's home? How did she know where to find Elliot, or the weapons? Perhaps she was just guessing, maybe she didn't know. Maybe she was human and she was simply using her instincts. That means she could be wrong. Maybe they were walking into a trap and she wouldn't even know! Were her instincts right or were they going to run straight into another alien? Were they going to find the surface or were they going to find death?

"Yes. I'm positive Mo. Now hurry up before I bleed out. We have to find the Doctor. I cannot fight like this and with him we stand a better chance." She told the man as a slight twist of pain slid through her body. The blood was now matting her shirt to her body like glue, almost her whole shirt crimson red at this point. There was no way she'd be able to fight if worse came to worse, she was in a weak position with a bleeding wound clearly on her stomach, the aliens would use that to their advantage and hurt it more so then it already was. She wasn't weak, but she sure wasn't strong if it came to a physical fight. If they found the Doctor and released him they would get out of here quicker then a weeping angel could move. They needed the Doctor. She needed the Doctor. She needed him now. Screw the stupid aliens and their stupid war plans, she was getting the hell out of here!

* * *

Astrid had been right when she had thought that the Doctor had been stupid enough to get caught. The Doctor, Amy, and Nasreen were all under escort, several Homo Reptilia surrounding them as they were lead to a room for their execution. What they weren't aware of however, was the rescue team a merely few feet away from them in a the hallway not too far away from where they were standing.

"These must be the only ones awake. The others must still be in hibernation." The Doctor explained as he looked around the dirt caked hallways. It was the only logical explanation after all. He knew several things about the Silurians, they were kind creatures when they weren't in the middle of a war. If it had been any other Silurian it would not be as insistent on killing him and his friends, or any other human for that matter. Nevermind trying to think of a plan to escape, all he needed was Astrid there and he would be freed in the blink of an eye. Astrid, even though she was a child version of her, was a genius when it came to escape plans. It was one of the things he loved about future Astrid, she had the ability to escape anything, surprisingly even handcuffs. In fact Astrid was the one that taught Houdini how to do handcuff tricks, without her help he wouldn't have become the famous escape artist he is today. All he needed was Astrid, then he would be saved. Come on Astrid, come out come out wherever you are.

"So, why did they go into hibernation in the first place?" Nasreen asked the Doctor with curiosity shimmering in her eyes. She wanted to know all there was to know about these aliens called the Homo Reptilia. They were beautiful creatures, and they were what she had been dreaming of finding since she was a little girl. She had always wanted to know what was in the middle of the earth? Was it really just fossils and rocks like her professor had told her, or was there something more? Wonders that no one had ever dreamed of. Well she had certainly gotten her answer. Not only did she know things already from what she had seen with her own eyes, but she had a man that knew everything about them with her as her guide. She was going to learn as much as possible. This was what she had come for, this was why she was risking her life under the ground. She wanted to know everything there was to know about the Homo Reptilia.

"Their astronomers predicted a planet heading to Earth on a crash course. They built a life underground and put themselves to sleep for millennia in order to avert what they thought was the apocalypse, when in reality it was the moon coming into alignment with the Earth." The Doctor Explained to Nasreen. He had been told that story the last time he had met the Silurians. Though the last time he had met them had been hundreds of years from now when the humans and Silurians were sharing the earth. He had promised Neffie a trip to see the future and that was were the Tardis had taken him. Good thing too because if the old girl hadn't he wouldn't have been able to rescue future Astrid from prison. How she had gotten there was beyond him but if he hadn't rescued her she would have been killed for some sort of treason. The only thing Astrid had done when she was released was smack him and yell quite angrily for him to get his ex girlfriend in check. He had a feeling it had to do with the queen at the time being one of his um … admirers. He still didn't know what had happened to this day but he knew to never get on her bad side. Ever.

"How can you know that?" Malohkeh asked in surprise. The man absolutely baffled him. He not only knew everything about the Silurians, but he somehow had two hearts and curious eyes that look like they've seen wonders. Who was this man with the knowledge and wisdom from beyond the stars? Where did he learn of the Homo Reptilia? But the main question that plagued Malohkeh was … what was he a Doctor in … Doctor Who?

"Long time ago, I met another tribe of Homo Reptilia. Similar, but not identical." The Doctor answered as he thought back to the day he had saved Astrid. After he had rescued her from jail, he had taken Astrid, Neffie, and Neffie's husband underground where some the Silurians had still lived at the time. He learned quite quickly that Egyptian kings and lizard aliens did not mix well. Long story short, after much complaining from Astrid, a very interesting and offensive conversation about men that went on between Neffie and Astrid, and a huge war that the king had started, the whole Silurian race was wiped extinct never to be seen again. Or so he thought.

"Others of our species have survived?" Restac asked hopefully, her whole voice bright and cheerful like the little girl she used to be. Maybe if others were left there was still hope left for the Silurian race, maybe they weren't the only tribe of Homo Reptilia on the planet. Then her species wouldn't go extinct! Maybe there was still hope on this precious planet!

"The humans attacked them. They died. I'm sorry." The Doctor replied wincing with regret. He knew the feeling of being the only one left. He saw the hope in her face of thinking perhaps, just maybe this wasn't the only tribe of her kind. But then he had taken even that away from her like the monster he was. He should have just said yes, given her the hope she plainly needed. He could have even just told her it was a tribe from the future, or simply told her nothing. But instead he had broke the harsh truth to her, telling her that the sole reason she was going to war was the reason the other tribe had died. He wished Astrid was here she was good at talking to people, especially woman. He needed her. He needed Astrid.

* * *

"What's the cure?" Ambrose asked the disgusting creature, making her way carefully down the steps. She was a monster. A vile creature that she so badly wanted to rid this world of, but she knew she couldn't. She was a murder. She had hurt Ambrose's father. She had kidnapped her husband and her only child. Yet she showed no emotion. No regret. No sympathy. Not even showing a sign of forgiveness. She was an evil beyond evil.

"What?" Alaya questioned the woman with a sneer in her direction. She knew perfectly well what the woman was talking about. She knew everyone's weaknesses. She could read them easily since it was one of the many things she had learned as a young child. The Doctor's weakness was war. The shy man's weakness was the little ginger haired girl that she had taken under the earth. But the angry woman in front of her, her weakness was her family. She had taken two people from her family and wounded the other. Alaya had poked at her weakness and now she would get what she expected. She would die.

"I saw what you've done to my dad. What's the cure?" Ambrose repeated, staring at the alien with fear and determination mixing in her eyes. She was a mess. She loved her family. Her family was the only thing that kept her going. The one thing always constant in her life. If they died she'd have no one else. Her heart would break and she wouldn't be able to fix it. She needed her family back. She needed them safe. They were her greatest weakness and she would protect them even if it meant death.

"Why would I tell you?" Alaya asked the frightened woman a small smile resting on her green reptilian lips. If this was to be her last conversation before her inevitable death she was going to have some fun with it. Teasing the woman seemed to be very entertaining to her, watching as the determination slowly dissipated, leaving only plain fear on her face. The woman was scared of her. She was frightened to even come near her, because to the woman Alaya was unpredictable. To her she was seen as an alien. A monster. To the woman she was the bad guy, and that kind of thought would be the key to her undoing.

"Because if you don't, I'm going to have to use this on you." Ambrose told the Silurian, showing her the shiny tazar that would later lead to her death. She had a plan. She knew just what to do to get her family back. All she needed to do was scare the alien with thoughts of it's own death and then the alien would tell her the cure instead of dying. It was simple really, even in her fragile feeble state she would be able to carry it out. It had to work it just had to, because if her father died only a few years after her mother she wouldn't be able to take it. Her heart would finally break.

"Now you reveal yourselves." Alaya said to the woman. She had known all this time that it would be her. The one with too much to lose. The shy man may have lost someone, but he was strong. He had a certain kindness surrounding him that brought great strength in it's wake. But the woman had too much at stake. She was weak and scared and her emotions were all around the place. Her weakness had been messed with and her family snatched out of her arms. She would soon be a killer. She would be the first killer in this war. She would be the spark that lit the fire. And Alaya would be her first blood. Alaya would be the start of a bloodbath.

"First you take my son, now you hurt my dad. I'm just protecting my family here, that's all. I don't want to use it. I want you to put things right." Ambrose replied shakily. She was slowly breaking down now. The woman had said before that someone out of the group here would kill her. But it couldn't be her. She would not murder. She was not a murderer. Everyone had a reason to murder the alien except for her. Her father would kill out of revenge. Rory would kill for his friend that had gotten taken. But she had no reason to kill her. She was just trying to scare the monster that had hurt her family and get a cure for her dad. Coming down here had only resulted in her becoming more afraid of herself. She should have never done this. She just wanted her dad better, was it really too much to ask?

"Use it." Alaya said tauntingly to the woman. She knew that the only way for a bloodbath to take place is for her death to take place as well. If she urged the woman on she would eventually kill her out of fright. She would die and the world would be theirs, all the humans dead for what they had done. She would enrage her sister and her sister would avenge her death. She would die to kill the humans extinct. She would die to bring the one thing she has always wanted … she would die for a new home on the surface bathed in human blood. She would die for her cause. She would die for her mother, her father, her friends and family. She would die for the world.

"What?" Ambrose asked her in confusion. This alien wanted to die? She would rather die then tell her what the cure was? Wasn't she living? Didn't she fear death just like everyone else? Didn't she have a family? People who wanted her home safe? Why was she begging for death? She may be an alien that had different customs and ways of living but wasn't she like any other human? Didn't she have hopes and dreams? Didn't she feel emotions like we felt emotions? Why was she begging for Ambrose to kill her? Was she just not humane enough to understand that death was forever? That there was no coming back from this? Why was death even an option to her?

"Use it on me. But you're too afraid. A woman who can't even protect her own child must be too weak to …" Alaya started, the sound of a taser cutting her off as it hit her body. The lighting pulse rocketing through her body and white flashing pain gliding throughout her. She stayed calm knowing this was it as she slowly fell to her knees, the pain overwhelming her as she kept her lips firmly in place showing no weakness as the pain washed over her. She didn't scream out or beg for help. She didn't cry or whimper. She stayed calm. She knew her death ticked closer and closer as the seconds flew by. She was ready for death to embrace her. She was ready to die.

"I didn't want to do that. Are you alright? Tell me, what's the cure for my dad?" Ambrose shouted at the lizard woman in an extremely frightened wavering voice, her hands shaking as she tried to stay calm. She had done it. She had hurt their hostage. She had hurt the hostage and she hadn't even gotten a cure for her father. She was a weakling. She needed a cure and she needed one fast, her father was in terrible pain and he looked half dead already. If she didn't get one soon he'd be a goner for sure.

"He's vermin. He deserves a painful death." Alaya gasped out as another shock of electrifying pain twisted up her body. She knew that the poison in her tongue had in reality done no harm to the old man, but she was not going to be the one to tell her that. It was only changing him, no harm done except for a lot of pain. He was a human and humans deserved pain, even if it wasn't death. They deserved misery and sadness. They deserved hell.

"I am giving you a chance." Ambrose told Alaya with a very shaky voice, as she gulped down the guilt of hurting her. She needed a cure. Her dad needed to be safe and alright and not dying. He deserved love not a painful death and he was family not vermin. He needed to be alright. He was going to be alright. She was going to save him, she would get the cure. Surely this alien was scared to die. She would save her dad, he would be ok. He would be safe.

"I knew it would be you. The one with the most to lose. The weakest." She replied to the woman, another bolt of electricity bursting through her as the taser hit her body once again. Her body sinking to the floor as the pain rushed back and forth over her, tracing her sickly green skin as it tingled within her. She could feel the ever waiting death as it rushed nearer and nearer, her body starting to shut down and her heart beating ever slower with each passing second of every minute. This was it. Her death awaited her.

* * *

"Ambrose, what have you done?" Mack asked his daughter in disbelief as he rushed down the steps, Rory not that far behind after hearing her frightened screams. His baby girl. His little girl that he had taught to be the better person. To not kill in fear of another. She had done it, she had killed. The baby he had promised with his life he would take care of. He had raised a killer. She had killed their only hostage, the only thing that ensured the others safe return. She had killed their only chance of safety when she had killed their hostage. She was a killer, a killer that would never see her family again.

"She kept taunting me about Mo and Elliot and you." Ambrose replied to her disappointed father, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked into her father's eyes like the little girl she used to be. She was a killer. She had killed Alaya like the alien had said she would. She was a monster. She didn't deserve a family. She didn't deserve love or forgiveness she deserved to be killed just like she had done to the poor alien they had held hostage. The alien that didn't fear death. The alien that probably had a loving family under the soil. The alien she had killed.

"We have to be better than this." Mack replied to her daughter, a disapproving look caught in his eye. He had raised her better than this. No daughter of his should be a killer. But the deed had been done, he could see it in the lizard woman's stare she was in pain and dying. There was no way to reverse it. His daughter was a killer. She had killed somebody. She had killed an alien. She had killed Alaya.

"She wouldn't tell me anything. I thought sooner or later she'd give in. I would have done. I just, I just want my family back, Dad." Ambrose replied, wrapping her arms around herself as she fought the urge to throw up. She was disgusted with herself. She had killed somebody. She was so scared now, tears trailing down her face as she silently cried. What had she become. She was so afraid of what she had done, of what others might think of her, she was afraid of herself.

"I'm sorry. How do we help you? Tell us what to do." Rory asked the dying Silurian, trying his best to help her. He was a nurse and he was not going to let his patient die, not since it was the one thing that was going to bring Astrid home safe. An alien was like a human. They were the same in his book, and he was not going to let anybody die. Even if she was a bad guy, it meant nothing, she was going to be rescued. He was going to make sure that she kept breathing. Ambrose had done a terrible thing, but Rory was going to fix it. Rory was going to bring Alaya safely to her family. Rory was going to keep her heart breathing. Rory was going to keep her alive.

"I knew this would come. And soon the war." Alaya whispered quietly a small smile on her lips and hope in her eyes as she thought of the coming bloodbath. Her heart finally slowing and her final breath rushing past her lips. Her eyes fluttering closed and her body stilling. Everything was quiet and calm. All that was heard was the slow breathing of the three others in the room. Alaya was gone. Alaya was dead.

* * *

Down below the earth millions of feet deep below the dirt and mud, in an underground civilization the Doctor, Amy, and Nasreen sat there waiting for their eventual execution.

"You're not authorised to do this." Malohkeh told Restac. This was not right, executions were to be done only by Eldane. It was unfair too. The human's had done nothing! This was not the way. It was all a misunderstanding, they didn't need a war. He knew the humans. He understood how they worked. He knew fear only made things worse. Not to mention there were several more humans than silurians. If Restac started a war they would be killed in less then a day!

"I am authorised to protect the safety of our species while they sleep." Restac said to Malohkeh in a very angry, stern tone as if reprimanding him. Her sister was missing. Her only family left was gone. She was held hostage, and that meant that if she hadn't arrived yet that she had no means of escape either. She was going to kill these apes and scare the others into returning her sister. They deserved it after all they've done.

"Oh, lovely place. Very gleaming." The Doctor spoke up, trying his best to break up the argument that was about to brew between the two Silurians. If he was being honest, it was actually a very nice place, it looked very much like a ballroom with architecture that screamed royalty. If worse came to worse it was a pretty decent place to die, much better than some other places he had died. Hopefully it didn't come to that though, after all they still had a chance considering Astrid was still out there. Astrid would never let him die without giving him a piece of her mind. Usually what happened when he's about to be killed is she would strut in like she owned the place, slap him, kiss him, demand he to be set free, and when replied with a no she proceeds to knock them all unconscious and free him herself. Then following that was usually either a steamy make out session or another slap which then eventually lead to running. He wouldn't get to do much of that with the younger version of her, but he had no doubt in his mind … Astrid would save him.

"Yeah um let them go. NOW, and I will not repeat myself." Astrid sassily said to the Restac, strutting her way to the center of the room a gun trained on her at all times. She stared at Restac her eyes glowing a dull red color. She was pissed. And no one not even the Doctor would ever stand in her way when she was angry. She owned this popstand now. This was her turf. Her Doctor on the line. No one was going to kill him … well except maybe her when she got her hands on him for getting caught. The spotlight was on her and by god was she going to put on a show. It was time to dance Restac, she may have the moves but Astrid has the brains, Astrid has the upper hand. She wasn't trying to win. She was trying to lose, that way no one got killed, that way everything went to plan. It was time to tango.

"Astrid, you're alive!" The Doctor said with glee, a huge smile lighting up his face like she had just given him a fez. He knew she would come and just in time too. His girl was a genius! He was so happy to see her, although the very large blood spot on her stomach was a tad worrying. He really hoped it wasn't her blood. With all his might he hoped and prayed that his Astrid wasn't hurt because that was a lot of blood, that was the type of blood loss found in a fatal wound and if she had a fatal wound that would mean death. If that wound meant death Astrid would die, no second chances. _**That**_ didn't happen until much later. She had her glowing eyes, but just barely, there was no way she had _**that**_ yet. Not yet she wasn't there just yet. If she died she died for good. If she died he would never meet his Astrid. If she died he would forget her.

"You can't get rid of me that easily Doctor. Now let them go, or I shoot." Astrid shouted at them in a very harsh voice, wanting nothing more than to slap the Doctor for getting himself caught. That idiot! She knew that she was going to get caught. In fact she planned on it, she didn't even know how to fire the gun. She didn't even like guns! She totally supported the Doctor's no weapons policy. She was making this extremely easy on Restac, so easy a baby could probably capture her faster than Restac was. Restac moved carefully towards Astrid as if she knew that she would be able to turn the tables. But like she had said before, Restac may have the moves but Astrid had the brains. Astrid was trying to make it easy on purpose, everything about her actions was screaming 'Not Even Trying', so why in the name of hell would Restac attack as slowly as possible? What was the point if Astrid barely even had a grip on the gun?!

"I'm warning you." She growled at her, faux anger expressed in her tone. To tell you the truth she wasn't angry at the silurians it was after all in Restac's nature to be a soldier. Nah, she was angry at the Doctor and Amy for getting themselves captured, they were smarter than that. They should have known that if they had stayed up there then the aliens wouldn't have the leverage they have now. She would have escaped and made her way to the surface and they could have returned Alaya in exchange for a peace treaty. But no the Doctor had to come under the soil and try to rescue her, who for the record had not needed saving. Restac got closer and closer until finally she was right in front of her. As quick as a wink she pulled the gun away from Astrid's small hands, kicking her down to the ground. Astrid gasped for breath, holding her stomach as the pain overwhelmed her again. She closed her eyes tightly in pain as she tried to slow her breathing, the small pulses of pain reaching to whatever part of her body it could, making the pain unbearable as she laid there.

"Don't you touch her! Astrid are you alright!" The Doctor bit out, the oncoming storm making a slight appearance. Something had hurt her and nobody hurt his Astrid. He knew Restac had seen the wound, he knew she had taken advantage of it. He just knew. He watched her in pain as she slowly nodded her head to his question, trying to assure him that she was fine. He could see the pain. He saw it radiating off her body in waves as she tried her best not to move as the pain overwhelmed her. He saw it in her features the way she had her eyes tightly closed trying to block out the pain so she didn't have to feel it. He saw it in the way she moved, the way her hands clenched the ground like she wanted somebody to hold her hand, to will the pain away, she saw it all around her as she tried her best to rid herself of pain. She was hurt. He wanted nothing more then to take off the rope tied around his wrists and rush to her side. To take all the pain and suffering away from her. He wanted to pretend like it had never happened. Like the blood wasn't there. Like she wasn't whimpering from pain. Like she hadn't gotten captured and hurt all because of him. He wanted nothing more to keep her safe in the Tardis, locked up like the fragile china doll she was. Safe in the Tardis where she wouldn't break, where she wouldn't get hurt or upset, where nothing could touch her. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't. Besides it was too late now Astrid was hurt. Astrid was bleeding and in terrible pain. Astrid was dying. He wouldn't get to hear her laughter, or kiss her lips again. He wouldn't get to save the world with him by her side, or see her smile. To him Astrid wasn't right here slowly dying in front of his eyes. To him Astrid was dead.


	6. Ch 6: Cold Blood Pt 2

"Sorry I couldn't save you." Astrid whispered as she was pulled over to a column next to the Doctor and shackled there. If she were telling the truth everything had gone to her plan, well … sort of. Except for the getting kicked down and having the fiery pain start up again everything had gone exactly like she had planned out in her head. She had won in her books, she had achieved everything she had wanted too and that she called winning. She wasn't sorry, it was his fault after all. If she wasn't shackled to a pole she would have slapped him for being so dumb. From where she was standing, she could see the swirl of emotion coming from his eyes. He was angry, there was a storm a brewing, the oncoming storm was going to come out to play, and she was scared. Scared that she was the one it was going to be directed at. Scared that he hated her. Scared that the oncoming storm was coming out because of her.

"So what happened?" The Doctor questioned with a soft tone, staring at her bloodied tank top as the red soiled through. He was angry. He was furious at the Silurians for what they done to Astrid. Furious at himself for letting her go through all that pain all by herself. He should have saved her on the surface before she had gotten sucked into the earth. He was to blame just as much as the Silurians. He had a feeling the oncoming storm was going to make an appearance. He was getting angrier and angrier every single second that he stared at how much blood she had lost. He was losing her before she had even gotten to start. She wouldn't die as Astrid Selene. She was going to die as Astrid Salisbury, the little girl so scared and alone who had appeared into this universe as if by magic. She was going to die as Astrid Salisbury not even knowing who she really is. She wouldn't get the chance to fall in love, she wouldn't get the chance to go on date nights with him, she wouldn't get the romantic first kiss she had always dreamed of. She would be Astrid Salisbury. She would die alone.

"They cut my stomach open. It's just a cut though."Astrid assured the Doctor wincing a little as another twinge of pain filled her body as she spoke. She knew the Doctor was worried, he always worried about the littlest thing. Always fretting about his friends. She didn't want to worry him. She was just a mistake. She shouldn't even be here. The Doctor shouldn't worry about her, she was just dead weight. She was probably more use to him dead than alive. If she had to suffer through the pain so he didn't have another person to worry about, she would do it. Telling him it was 'just a cut' was an understatement, it was a gaping hole. A hole filled with blood, her blood, the red sea of crimson liquid. She was in pain, but she could be brave, she'd put on a poker face and not let him see. Don't let him see. Can't let him see. Won't let him see. She wouldn't let him worry. She wouldn't let him see.

"No Astrid it's not. It looks like it really hurts. Plus there is blood soaking your shirt." The Doctor told her with a small frown on his face. It wasn't just a little cut, if it bled that much already it was much worse. He knew Astrid, he understood how she acted. He could see the anguish in her eyes as she tried her best to hide it, as she tried her best not to scream out in pain. He knew she was trying to be brave, trying to hide her pain. That was one of the many things that the young girl had in common with her older self. She hid the anguish behind the mask of a faux smile and laughed off the pain that was killing her softly. She didn't tell anybody, not even him, because she felt like a burden. Like her pain and hurting wasn't important. Like everybody else was more important then her. He needed to help her, he needed her to stop passing off the pain as nothing. He needed to stop the bleeding. He was extremely worried about her, and the gnawing fear of losing her wouldn't stop until she was better again. He had hope that she wouldn't die. Maybe if he fixed it quick enough … maybe just maybe she would live. He would help her. He'd save her this time.

"Just leave it please. Don't worry about me." Astrid whispered in a barely audible tone, closing her eyes as a very painful wave of pain settled in her stomach. The Doctor needed to stop worrying about her. She was not important. Besides she was dying anyways, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't magically fix her up so all the blood was placed back in her. Well … now that she thought about it, if they were on the Tardis he could probably do a blood transfusion, or maybe give her some weird alien thing that would patch her up and replenish her blood. It didn't matter now. With the amount of blood she had lost already, she doubted she would last much longer. He needed to stop worrying, he barely knew her, he had only met her a few months ago, it wasn't like she had known him for centuries. She was just another pretty face on his long list of people who died. She didn't fear death, she didn't fear the unknown like most people. He needed to stop worrying over silly little half dead her and start worrying about more important things.

"I'll always worry about you, Astrid, Always." The Doctor replied softly, his eyes glazing over with unshed tears. No matter where Astrid was in the universe, whether she was with him or not, he always worried that she was alright. Constantly calling her and making sure she wasn't dead, constantly checking on her to make sure that his vivid dreams of her death were false. He no longer was plagued by nightmares of just Gallifrey anymore. Whenever he slept it was always a nightmare of her dying in his arms and him not being able to bring her back to life. He always worried, worried that she would die before she was old enough in her timeline, die before she met him, die and have him all alone in the world. He always worried, and if he didn't fix this mess and get her to the Tardis she would die. If he didn't fix her in time his worst nightmare would come true, Astrid would die without loving him.

A green screen materialised in front of them, making Astrid jump at the sudden appearance. It was hazy and a little bit fuzzy but Astrid could just barely make out the image of Ambrose, Mack, and Rory, her Rory. She remembered this conversation, she knew every line and every word that would be spoken. So the question was, what was the point? What was the point of listening to it all again when she had heard it a million times on repeat? Why did it matter if this part happened? She thought as another twinge of pain settled in her stomach. Why couldn't they just skip to the part where she saves Rory and dies in his place? At least then she would be put out of her misery. Then she wouldn't feel pain. Maybe she'd go to the promised land with Missy, even though technically it wasn't even Heaven and just a virtual reality. She wouldn't mind a nice chat with the woman, Missy was after all one of her favorite characters, besides Missy made her laugh. With the amount of pain she was in she really wanted a good laugh. Did the promised land even exist now? Probably not, it wasn't even mentioned until the eighth season. She'd probably just be turned die, nothing special. She was in a fog now, her own little world. A grey dense fog that was to her left and to her right, a fog that was everywhere she turned, a fog that was surrounding her on all sides. A fog in her mind blurring anything and everything. She couldn't hear or see or smell, she could only stay in that little grey fog, thinking. Would she be able to save Rory? Was it so much a fixed point that anything she tried would fail? Would she even live long enough to take his place or was she screwed? Would he die alone?! Slowly the fog began to clear, the grey wisps of cloud disappearing as her mind came back to the present. The voice of Rory slowly getting louder and louder, and her eyes clearing to show Rory as clear as day on a green screen staring at them with relief in his eyes, one lone tear slowly gliding down his face.

"Doctor! Amy! Oh my gosh Astrid!" Rory shouted out with joyfulness in his voice. Astrid was safe, she was ok. They had saved her! They had found her. She looked a little beaten up, she didn't look hurt from the way she was smiling up at him, only her face shown in the screen, but she looked unharmed. This was perfect, well … not exactly. They were captured by the enemy and held as hostage, but on the bright side Astrid and Amy were unhurt and well. His girls were fine. He was so happy to see them again! Astrid wasn't dead! She was so very alive and he couldn't be any more thankful. Astrid was safe.

"Mo! Mo, are you okay?" Ambrose asked through the screen, Rory being knocked out of the picture for a few seconds. She was worried so worried that he had been dead, that they had stolen him and killed him. But now, after finally seeing his face after what felt centuries, he was fine. Her worries were ceased. He was safe. Her Mo would be alright.

"I'm fine, love. I've found Elliot. I'm bringing him home." Mo told her in a reassuring tone. Nevermind the fact that they were trapped with no way out, his wife looked scared. He didn't like the look of her scared, and he was as sure as hell going to make sure she was alright. He knew that they'd get out of here one way or another, from the way Astrid had spoken about him the Doctor was a genius. And from talking to the young girl she sure seemed like a genius too. It was simple math, two bloody brilliant people in the same room would equal escape. Then all he would have to do is lead them back to Elliot and rescue him. Everything would be fine, everything would work out.

"Astrid, I thought I'd lost you. I thought you were dead!" Rory shouted, finally coming back into the picture. He had no doubt that the Doctor would find her, the man loved her after all, but he had a strange tingle in his stomach that kept telling him that something was wrong, that she was dead. That maybe she had been hurt and the Doctor wouldn't find her in time. There were a million ways to kill her and yet her she was on the screen smiling away like nothing had happened, like she hadn't just been pulled under the ground hours before. He thought of worst case scenario. What he hadn't thought of however, was the fact that he was right. That the smile was fake. That underneath it all was agony beyond any pain she had felt before. That what he wasn't seeing was the giant blood stain on her shirt, the giant cut that was killing her, literally. The tingle in his stomach was right, something was wrong, she was dying. The worst part was, he didn't know.

"You're such a clingy friend. I'm fine." Astrid told him, a small laugh escaping her lips. She wasn't laughing at the fact that he was worried, no she was laughing at the irony of it all. He thought she was dead. Well guess what Rory, she was dying. He was right to be clingy and worried, she was bleeding out. She was smiling as if everything was alright. As if she wasn't in horrible pain at the moment. As if this whole thing was just some dream, but the worse part was that it wasn't. In her dreams she'd die and then come back to life like some magical Timelord. She wasn't a Timelord, she was human. She wouldn't die and then turn into a different person, she couldn't just chop off a hand and grow another one. She was dying. That it's, just dying. She wouldn't be able to come back this time. This wasn't a dream. This wasn't ok. She wasn't alright. She was bleeding out, and not even the Doctor could save her.

"Show me Alaya. Show me, and release her immediately unharmed, or we kill your friends one by one." Restac told the vile creatures on the screen. She had let them have a little reunion and now she wanted one with her sister, it was only fair. It wasn't like she had killed all their family and then demanded to see Alaya, she was playing by the rules. She was playing as fair as possible. She loved her sister, even if she didn't show it she loved her so much it broke her that she was gone. Their parents had died years back because of humans and her sister was the only one she had left in this world. She wanted Alaya safe and unharmed, she wanted Alaya back here in her arms, NOW. If not she would slay these puny creatures, and the Doctor too, and she'd have plenty of fun doing it.

"No! We won't show you her unless you release the other humans." Ambrose shouted back furious at the creature a little bit of fear gnawing at the back of her mind. She had killed her, she had killed Alaya out of fear. Alaya was dead. There was no way that they could show Alaya to this lizard woman, she was dead. She held her family hostage, promising to kill them one by one and they had a dead hostage. If they showed the dead lizard to them, Mo and Elliot would be killed immediately, an eye for an eye after all. She wanted her family back and she was going to get them back no matter what.

"Let Rory deal with this, Ambrose, eh?" The Doctor told her, hope in his voice as he tried to persuade her to stop talking. He knew Ambrose was just scared, what normal human wouldn't be. Take away fear you take away what makes a human who they are. Fear is in everything when it came to humanity, they feared that monsters were under their bed, they feared that their family wouldn't make it home safe, they feared anything and everything. It was one of the reasons he loved humanity, they were so scared and it was beautiful. Older Astrid feared that he would die and she would be alone, Amy feared that she wasn't good enough for Rory, Rory feared that Amy and Astrid would die on an adventure with him. Every human feared something and Ambrose was scared that her husband and child would die and never come back to the surface. She was scared, and that meant that she wasn't thinking illogically, Rory on the other hand was thinking logically. Rory was a genius. He was smarter than him and Astrid combined. It was why he liked Rory as a companion, he was kind, helpful, and smart. He was the first of many that had understood how the Tardis was bigger on the inside compared to the outside. If anyone was speaking for humanity, it was him. Apparently Ambrose hadn't gotten that memo.

"We are not doing what you say any more. Now, give me back my family." Ambrose said with determination and fear swirling together in her voice. She wanted Mo back, she wanted to see him read stories to Elliot, to kiss him before work and when he got home, to tell him that she loved him every single waking minute he saw the amazing man. She wanted Elliot back, to see him color quietly on the rug after school, to see him smile when he saw his grandfather, to hug him and kiss him every second she got. She wanted her family back.

"No. Execute the girl, she's close to death anyways." Restac told two of her warriors, pointing at Astrid. They walked briskly over to her, with each step they took Astrid winced, tears strolling down her cheeks, common sense telling her she would be shot and her mind telling her she would be saved. The emotions overwhelming her as she was taken out of her shackles and taken to the center of the room. She stood there shaking, not comprehending anything but her own fear. Her heart beating as quickly as possible, thumping out of her chest with every breath. Her eyes glazed over, glowing a dull blue, the sparkle in her eye shimmering as she gasped for breath. She couldn't feel the pain in her stomach anymore, now she felt the pain in her head. Everything except her thoughts were telling her that she was already dead so it didn't matter if she died. But she realized, it did matter. She had three brilliant, amazing people that were counting on her being alive. The Doctor and Amy hadn't been ignoring her all those months spent in the Tardis waiting for her to adjust. She had been ignoring them. She had stayed with Rory, shy as a mouse as she whined to him about her life. The Doctor and Amy cared about her. Amy had been guilty about her being sucked under the earth, The Doctor had been furious with the silurians when he had found out about her wound. They loved her, they cared about her like she was a part of their big complicated family. And Rory, sweet, brave Rory, he cared for her like the faithful best friend he was. They wanted her alive, she wasn't a bother to them. She wasn't just some random thing that had showed up in the Tardis. She mattered. Astrid was a companion. Astrid was the Doctor's companion. She was one of the Doctor's closest friends, and there was one thing that he never let his friend's do. He never let them die without a fight. He never let them get hurt and if they did a storm would brew. Astrid wasn't going to go down without a fight. She was the Doctor's companion, and she had been chosen for a reason. He never knew why he just knew who. She was going to show him his why. She was going to show him why she deserved to be his friend. She wasn't going to go out like a light, she was going to go out like a flame.

"There's no need for this. You've hurt her once! If you hurt her one more time I will not hesitate to …" The Doctor screamed in fury only to be cut off by Amy begging the Silurian to release Astrid and take her instead. To be honest he didn't know what he would do. Astrid was his rock, she was the person who held him back when he went too far. Without her here everything would crumble. He was furious, he was in full oncoming storm mode now and nothing would snap him out of it. His blinding fury shading his eyes from common sense. Astrid was one of his best friends, his lover. She was everything to him, and they wanted to kill her?! That was not going to happen. Not while he was still here watching. The oncoming storm was here and there was no way in hell that he was going to let them kill his Astrid!

"Listen, listen. Whatever you want, we'll do it. Just please don't hurt Astrid!" Rory screamed at them frantically. Not now! Not after everything that had happened! He was so close to getting her back after thinking she was dead, and now here she was close to death yet again. The worst part was, he wouldn't be able to stop it. Rory was powerless, he was on the surface and she was below millions of miles of dirt and rock. But she couldn't die now right? Amy met her, a future her a while back. If she died now how would Amy meet her? That would mean that she doesn't die right? Like an answer to a prayer his brain replied to his question, sending him a memory from a few days ago. Him and Astrid had been sitting on her bed eating gummy worms, sharing stories and telling each other about their lives before the Doctor. 'But that's the thing Rory, time can be rewritten, nothing is set in stone, everything is changing and nothing is definite. Even if you saw it with your own eyes doesn't make it true.' He had thought nothing of what she had said that day, not until now. Astrid could still die, time could still be rewritten. Just because Amy had seen a future version of her alive and well meant nothing. They were going to shoot her dead and there was no way he could stop them.

"Aim." Restac shouted at her soldiers, every single one pointing it at the tiny ape in the center of the room. This was it she was going to get her revenge. She had been wrong when she had thought that the Doctor's weakness was war. His weakness was the tiny little ape that stood there wincing, awaiting her death. It was her. It had to be her. With every story ever told about the Doctor and his blue box there was always her. She was Astrid Selene. She made the Daleks run with a single glance, she was called a goddess. The Doctor's goddess. The goddess of the stars. It was said that with a single word she had the Sontarans begging for mercy, with a single smile she had nations bowing at her feet. It was said that when the war of trenzalore came to pass and she had rescued the man from the fall of the eleventh, she would save the universe. This was her first kill in the war, she was to kill Astrid Selene. She would kill the Doctor's love.

"Don't do this! Do not touch one hair on her head!" The Doctor screamed at the lizard woman, outraged. A pain throbbing in his chest like he had been punched in the hearts. He had promised her. He had promised that she wouldn't get hurt again. He promised that he wouldn't let her into harm's way after he had seen the broken look on her face after the last time she had nearly died. He wanted her safe. Time can be rewritten. Astrid can die. He watched as everything panned out in front of him in slow motion, he watched as Astrid assured Rory that everything would be ok. He watched as tiny tears sprinkled down her face and onto the ground below her. He watched as Rory and Amy screamed at the top of their lungs begging the Silurian to not shoot Astrid. He watched as she stood there shaking her hand at her sides and her eyes now shut as she waited for her inevitable death. He watched as the green screen that held the picture of Rory flickered off into blackness and Rory wasn't there any longer. He watched as the Silurian warriors placed their finger on the trigger waiting for the order to kill Astrid. He watched as she gave the order to fire with a victorious smile on her face, tears streaming down his face as he stared at her beautiful face for what felt like the last time.

"Stop! You want to start a war while the rest of us sleep, Restac?" A male Silurian asked as he walked in, stopping them from killing the young child. When he had been woken up from stasis by Malohkeh he had expected a full out war, what he had not expected however was for Restac to go so low as to shoot a child to get what she wanted. That was cruelty. You do not ever bring the war to the children of the world you are fighting. Restac had no right to go running around shooting kids as she pleased. No right. Eldane was going to stop her little visions of war, he was going to make sure that this was handled with authority not violence. This war on the humans stopped now.

"You're our protector, not our commander, Restac. Unchain them." He told the warriors that were ready to shoot the poor shaking child at a moment's notice. They lowered their weapons, relief passing over her face as she opened her eyes, a wide smile on her lips. Everything had gone to plan, Eldane had been awakened, she wasn't dead. Astrid hadn't killed herself with her plan to fail. She always knew there was the possibility that it could have gone wrong and she could have gotten shot, but she hadn't. She was alright. She wasn't dead … not yet anyway, and she still had the chance to save Rory from death before she did die. She had been saved. She was alive.

"I do not recognise your authority at this time, Eldane." Restac hissed at the man. She had been so close to killing the famous Astrid Selene. So close to torturing the Doctor with his lover's death. So close to killing every stinking ape on this planet and she had failed. It was hopeless now. Eldane was here. Even if she somehow managed to convince him that he had no authority now it wouldn't matter. The moment was ruined. Astrid would never die now, the interruption would give her plenty of time to think of a plan. To run away when none of them were looking. Astrid wasn't dead. The Doctor wasn't dead. The humans weren't dead, and here she was, caught by Eldane. He didn't have authority in a war that was true, but this wasn't a war. This had been an execution.

"Go and play soldiers, Restac." Eldane informed the young woman. watching as she stared at the little girl with such hatred in her eyes. The young girl staring at the Silurian with eyes that glowed blue. It was her. The younger version, mind you, but it was her none the less. The fiery hair that shimmered like a dying star, her eyes glowing and shimmering like she had stardust in her eyes, and the smile on her lips like she knew everything about everyone with a single glance. Many of centuries ago it was said that at the downfall of their race the great goddess Astrid would make her appearance and save them all with the help of her husband the Doctor, the last alien of his kind. They were the last of the Silurians and her she was. It was her. She would save them.

"You'll need me, then we'll see." Restac sneered at him, stomping off and slamming the door behind her. Restac had heard the prophecies of Astrid Selene too, and she knew one thing, their species was not going to be saved by that APE! Not when she was nearly dead. Her species had no chance. Not unless she killed them all. She would finish this war. Now all she needed was more troops. This was what she was destined for. This was what her mother had been preparing her to do. Even her mother's lullabies had told her what would happen. 'The humans would die. No time for goodbyes. Astrid would die. The Doctor would cry.' It was time for the final stretch. It was time for blood. It was time for hell.

* * *

"I've got to get down there. Astrid is only a kid. I need to know that she is okay." Rory told the others, tears falling freely down his face. They had been cut off before the command to fire, before they had seen her die. Maybe she was still alive. All he had now was hope, hope that she was alright. Hope that maybe just maybe she hadn't been shot and now laid motionless on the ground. It was the only thing that he held onto now … hope. He couldn't see her with his own eyes, all he could do was hope. It was an either/or sort of thing now, it was out of his hands. She was either dead or alive, nothing more nothing less. He just hoped it was the latter.

"Rory. Hello." The Doctor told him from the screen, a giant smile on his face as he looked at him giddily. Astrid was finally safe. Astrid wasn't dying, well she was bleeding out, but that was another problem entirely. Astrid was fine for now, she wasn't dead on the ground, she was safe in Amy's arms as Amy balled her eyes out. Everything was fine, she was safe, she was fine. He had no need to worry, she was Astrid. She once shot eleven cybermen while she had a bullet wound in her arm and a broken leg. If she could survive that she could survive a gun being pointed at her. He had no need to worry. So why was he? His hearts were beating so fast he felt like they would explode, and his mind was racing with thoughts, forever worried that she would be shot. Astrid was fine so why was he so distressed?

"Where's Astrid and Amy?" Rory questioned the man, anxiety in his voice, a few stray tears gliding down his face. If the Doctor looked happy then she had to be alive right? A memory echoed in his mind like a butterfly floating in the wind. 'But Rory, if time were rewritten before a certain time then anyone that was involved in that personal timeline would forget.' Maybe that was why the Doctor was happy, maybe he had forgotten her! Maybe she had died and the aliens were playing some sick, twisted game showing him the aftermath of her death. Perhaps she was dead right now on the floor, a bullet through her skull. No, he couldn't that way. There was still hope. Either she was alive or she was dead. Either/or, it was sad that this was the type of choice the world has come to. A life could end with a single choice, and if he didn't see Astrid with his own eyes then he would make a choice, either go down there and risk death, or stay up here and hope.

"Their fine. Look, here they are." The Doctor told him joyously, stepping out of the frame to show a weeping Amy hugging a reluctant Astrid. He watched as Astrid consoled his fiance, whispering something that wasn't quite audible from where he was. Rory watched as Amy peeled herself away from her and wiped her tears off her face, coming to stand beside the Doctor, Astrid approaching the screen soon after Amy's departure.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you died … again." Rory told the young girl in a surprised tone. He wasn't surprised that Astrid was alive, a small part of him had told him that she was ok, she was surprised that this was the second time she had been close to death today. He knew traveling with the Doctor was dangerous, but almost dying twice was too dangerous, especially for a kid. He understood that Astrid wasn't some ordinary teenager, and that this was perfectly normal for her. But it wasn't normal for him. He wasn't used to seeing a little girl, his best friend, almost shot to death. He wasn't used to seeing her under the earth smiling away like it was any other normal day. He wasn't used to it, and he probably never would be.

"I'm fine Rory, stop worrying about me." Astrid told him out of breath. The pain was coming back slowly, it was draining her energy and her heart was slowing down. It was getting harder and harder to breathe as she took a sharp inhale trying her best to stay breathing. She couldn't die, not now, not when she was so close to saving Rory. Rory was the only thing that was keeping her going, the only thing stopping her from just giving up life. She was a survivor and she was not going to give in. Well … not yet anyways. She was going to work hard to stay breathing, work hard to keep her heart beating. She was not going to stop until Rory was safe. The part she was worried about was whether or not she could keep herself alive until then.

"No time to chat. Listen, you need to get down here. Go to the drill storeroom. There's a large patch of earth in the middle of the floor. The Silurians are going to send up transport discs to bring you back down using geothermal energy and gravity bubble technology. It's how they travel and frankly, it's pretty cool. Bring Alaya. We hand her over, we can land this after all. All going to work, promise. Gotta dash. Hurry up." The Doctor explained, the transmission quickly shutting off afterwards. Step one and two, find Astrid and save her were completed. Now all he had to do was bring peace to Silurians and humans alike. All he had to do now was save the world for the billionth time. Everything would be fine, he'd done this before after all.

* * *

"I'd say you've got a fair bit to talk about." The Doctor told the elder Silurian, playfulness in his voice. Unlike last time he could actually bring peace to the two groups and this time they would share the earth instead of die because of differences. Now that they weren't in a blood spilling battle, now both parties were safe. He would be able to bring happiness and most of all he would be able to save both groups from a horrible fate. Restac was not the authority, Restac was the commander, besides she was long gone now. They weren't going to die as the first blood of a war, well … at least he hoped not. Astrid looked very pale and it was a tad worrying, it didn't look terrible considering she was fine enough to argue with him and mock him. But he always worried. Always worried that every small cut was actually a huge life threatening gash, that every fever was some alien disease that would kill her. He knew she was fine though, he just needed to convince himself. That was the hard part.

"How so?" Eldane asked the older Timelord. He knew that the man was talking about negotiating a peace treaty. He knew from the hopeful smile on the man's face he certainly wanted peace, there was no question. To be honest he had no plans of hurting the humans in any way, in fact he wanted it to be peaceful between the two species as well. Restac had been wrong to try to start a war between two very peaceful species while he was sleeping. She had no authority! She was only supposed to be making sure that none of their enemies took advantage of their hibernation and killed them off, it had after all happened before and he was not going to take the chance. But Restac had no right to kill others as she pleased. A peace treaty would be made. The treaty that would bring peace once again against both species. A peace treaty of hope would be created, and the Silurian golden age would begin.

"You both want the planet. You both have a genuine claim to it." The Doctor answered the man, a small smile appearing on his face as he did. It was true though. The Silurians had been on this planet since the dawn of time, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and humans hadn't been created yet. Another couple million years later when the humans had been created, the Silurians were forced underground by the extreme pressure changes in the atmosphere. The humans had been living on this planet since then. They both had a claim to it since they had both lived on the planet for vast amounts of time, and so a peace treaty had to be negotiated. And he knew just the right people to speak for humanity.

"Are you authorised to negotiate on behalf of humanity?" Eldane asked the Doctor, nothing but seriousness in his voice. He knew a lot about the Doctor, after all he had been one of the History teachers for the young Silurian a long long time ago. He knew that he loved the humans, which although was very nice did not make him eligible to negotiate for humanity. He was an alien, plain and simple as that. He had two hearts and time traveling technology, although he looked like a human he wasn't which was what really counted when it came down to it. If it wasn't him that he was going to be negotiating with than who was it if anyone?

"Me? No. Neither is Astrid. But they are." The Doctor clarified, pointing out Nasreen and Amy. He definitely couldn't he wasn't even human, so he was out of the question. Astrid was special which didn't make her a candidate either. She may have human blood but he wasn't so sure she would for long. Rory had come to him one night asking if he knew about the burning in her blood. When he had answered no Rory had left but he knew … he knew what it was. The process had started, she may have human blood now but soon, really soon she wouldn't which made her unable to negotiate for humans. However, Amy and Nasreen were perfect to be representing humanity. They were both geniuses and they were both human. They were going to be brilliant ambassadors.

"What?" Nasreen asked, confusion written clearly in her hazel eyes. An ambassador? What were they talking about? She was a scientist, not anyone important. She wasn't some big wig like a president, or a representative, or a prime minister or anything. She was smart but not that smart. So why would the Doctor ever choose her to speak for humanity? Why couldn't he do it himself, he was afterall a complete and utter genius, so couldn't he come up with some big fancy peace treaty with a bunch of impressive words that she didn't know? She was not ambassador material not one tiny bit.

"Course you are. Amy Pond and Nasreen Chaudhry, speaking for the planet? Humanity couldn't have better ambassadors. Come on, who has more fun than us?" The Doctor asked Amy, glee in his tone. In his mind they did have the best of times, to him it was seeing the beauty of time and space, visiting Venice in the old timey era and going on futuristic humany spaceships. It was all about having fun even with the danger. To him it was seeing the universe though someone else's eyes. If he had the chance to negotiate for humanity he'd jump at it. Amy and Nasreen were getting to do a once in a lifetime sort of thing and to him it was amazing! They were getting to do something cool, no danger involved, no spur of the moment decisions. This was something that not a lot of humans got to do.

"Is this what happens, in the future? The planet gets shared? Is that what we need to do?" Amy asked, firing question after question at the Doctor. From what she had learned from future Astrid as well as what she had seen from her travels, The Doctor and Astrid couldn't change the future. They had to let people die because they had seen it in the future. The couldn't change people's lives because it wasn't what happened in the future. The one adventure she had met future Astrid, Astrid had been in tears because she couldn't save one of the people she knew died. She had to let the poor man die because it was something she had known to be in the future. Somehow she felt bad for Astrid, everyone thought it would be such a gift to be able to tell the future. You would be able to save people with that kind of power. But no it was just the opposite. It was a curse and it broke poor Astrid and changed her into a teary eyed mess. Anyways back to the point, the future couldn't be changed, so is this what happened in the future? Do they share the earth, is this what she had to do?

"Er, what are you talking about?" Nasreen asked, even more confused than before. What was 'supposed to happen'? What did they mean? In all of her years she had not ever heard a pair stranger than these two. She was missing something she could feel it … who were these people? They were like a complex jigsaw puzzle with a piece missing. Who is Amy and the Doctor?

"Oh Nasreen, sorry. Probably worth mentioning at this stage, Amy, Astrid and I travel in time a bit." The Doctor informed Nasreen … well at least to the best of his ability anyways. Trying to explain what he did for a living was tough to say the least. How are you supposed to explain quantum mechanics and time travel without making someone's head explode? It was very nearly impossible considering how incredibly tiny human brains were. No offense to the humans of course, he loved humans they were beautiful, remarkable creatures. It was why he liked taking them up as companions. Amy and Rory however, they were as smart as him with that little spark that made them human. Amy's questions were always so on the nose it made him feel equal with her, like they were both timelord smart. Like he didn't have to explain every single thing to her as if she's a baby. She was a perfect ambassador, human with a genius mind. If he was going to get her on board with becoming an ambassador he would have to explain time, and that was definitely Astrid's territory, she was after all the person with an extremely messed up timeline and on top of that timeline she could also tell the future. Not only that but she also understood time in a way that not even a timelord could. Time was complex and even for someone as smart as Amy needed to be explained carefully.

"There are fixed points through time where things must always stay the way they are. This is not one of them. This is an opportunity. A temporal tipping point. Whatever happens today, will change future events, create its own timeline, it's own reality. The future pivots around you, here, now." The Doctor went on to explain to the two, seriousness seeping into his voice.

"So do good, for humanity, and for Earth." Astrid finished for the Doctor, her voice sounding off for some reason as she tried to catch her breath. It was getting harder and harder to breathe now, her whole body turning ashen white as she got closer and closer to the death that she so desperately wanted to avoid. But she wouldn't give up, she was going to stay alive long enough to save Rory. Then she would be brought back to life as a plastic Roman. She would make it, she had to. The stubbornness in her proclaiming as she smiled a false smile at Amy, trying her best not to show the damage. Amy had to do this, it was part of the future … well at least it was a huge part of the present that she knew about from her universe. She had to encourage Amy and not show the pain. She couldn't let anyone worry about her, not when everything else that was going on was more important.

"Right. No pressure there, then." Amy told her sarcastically as she smiled a wide smile towards the pale looking girl. To be honest she was extremely worried about Astrid. She looked really sick, Amy was no nurse but it looked like maybe the gash had been infected or something. Where was Rory when she needed him? Amy didn't know what to do, should she keep it to herself, wait for Rory, or even maybe just tell the Doctor her worries? Maybe she was just paranoid, maybe the guilt was getting to her again. Amy wasn't sure but she was positive that she should keep this to herself, there was no need for extra worrying especially at a time like this. Right now she was going to be happy and have fun and negotiate with an alien for her planet.

"Be extraordinary. Okay. Bringing things to order. The first meeting of representatives of the human race and Homo Reptilia is now in session. Ha! Never said that before. That's fab. Carry on. Now, Mo. Let's go and get your son. Oh, you know, humans, and their predecessors shooting the breeze. Never thought I'd see it." The Doctor rambled, Astrid rolling her eyes, a small smile on her face as she followed after them. Each step hurt as she gripped her wound. She breathe at all now as she panted, sweat coating her forehead. She would make it she would save her best friend.

* * *

(TIME JUMP)

* * *

Ambrose had done it, ambrose had killed Alaya to get her family back. She was scared, and she had killed out of fright, she had done nothing wrong, yet the Silurians wanted all of them dead. The Doctor had been distracting the Silurians as they ran for cover. The sad thing was, everyone had already made it to lab by now, all except her. But she couldn't run like the others, she could barely even breathe. She was gasping for breath, the pain having appeared once again. She was as white as snow, her skin almost ghost like and her lips an extremely pale as she struggled to walk. The pain hurt, it's was like a constant ache. She couldn't walk because every step she took sent a shock of pain up her body turning the ache into a burning. A hand touches her back, a familiar hand, the Doctor's hand. He turns her around and she finds that she is right. Her Doctor would save her, he always saved her.

"Astrid, oh Astrid. You look terrible, it's definitely worse than I thought. You should have told me." The Doctor said as she whimpered. The pain overwhelming her as she tried her best to not fall over from the extreme shock wave of pain she was feeling. She felt herself being picked up and she leaned into the Doctor's chest hearing the lulling of his hearts as if telling her to give up and slip into a deep unconscious sleep. Her eyes shutting momentarily as she tried to listen to the peaceful rhythm. She listened as he entered a room, clicking the door shut carefully behind him as best as he could with his arms filled. She felt him as he removed her from him, gently sitting her on the ground. She was tired of it all. She wanted to just die and get it over with. But she knew she couldn't, if she gave up now who would save Rory? She could make it. She would save her best friend from pain. She would save Rory. She conjured up all her strength and with one tiny movement she fluttered her eyes open taking in her surroundings. She watched as the others talked quietly amongst themselves, her being too far away to hear them. She watched as Rory broke from the group and looked at her fear in his eyes as he ran to her.

"Astrid! Oh my gosh, you're bleeding out! You should have told me before! Your dying … I can't do anything." Rory said, sadness creeping into his voice as tears bubbled in his eyes daring him to cry. He was a nurse and he couldn't save her. She was going to die and it was going to be all his fault. His best friend. The little girl that he cared for so much was bleeding out. She was dying for real this time, no false alarm like the other two times he had thought her dead today. She was really going to die no second chances. His best friend was dying and he couldn't change a thing.

"Rory, you were like a father to me. My best friend. I'll miss you." Astrid said, her head pounding as she tried to focus on Rory. Her friend. The first person she had met in this universe, even if she had knew who he was. He was the kind, sweet man. The underdog. Her rock. Soon he would be called the brave Rory the Roman. She wouldn't be able to last, she knew that now. Death was close. She wasn't going to be able to rewrite time and save rory from pain. She was going to die, and unlike him she wasn't going to come back from the dead.

"No, stop it! I won't have you dying on me!" Rory said desperately, a frown on his face as he sat next to her and grasped her hand. She couldn't die, he just wouldn't accept it. He couldn't accept it. On no account was his best friend going to die. He was going to make sure of it. Sure he saw little girls like her die almost every day as a nurse, which was sad but true, but on no account was this little girl going to die. If Astrid died he was sure it would break him.

"Rory it's not my choice. I chose to save Amy and this is were it got me. Be happy with her for me. She's a wonderful person." Astrid said as Rory rubbed consoling circles onto the back of her hand. If saving Amy from the pain of dissection got her here it sure as hell was worth it. Amy was worth dying for. Rory would just have to accept her death, because she was not coming back from this. She knew deep in her heart that he would forget her eventually, the weight of her death lifted as he spent time with Amy, and that was all ok. She wasn't supposed to be here anyways and with her gone everything would be back to the way it was. She was nobody, it didn't matter if she died simple as that.

"I won't be happy until you are safe. I promised I would make sure you never get hurt and I'm going to stick to that promise." Rory said silently. He wouldn't let her get hurt. He couldn't quite put his finger on why but, Astrid was special and he had the instinct to protect her. He would save her. Astrid would not die today or tomorrow or any day after that. Astrid was in his protection and if anything, ANYTHING hurt her they would him to answer to.

* * *

"Doctor, um … it's Astrid. She's dying. She asked for you and Amy." Rory whispered to the pair a few minutes later. Tears trailing down his face as he lead the two over to where she was laying. Her eyes were half closed, tears trailing down her own face as she silently cried, her breathing ragged as she tried to inhale but could barely even manage that simple task. She had failed. She was going to die and Rory was going to as well. She hadn't saved him from the pain like she promised herself she would. It was a broken promise that ached deep in her chest mixing with the lingering pain of her bloody gash. Even if this had been short lived she was glad she had gotten to spend time with her hero. She got to spend time with the Doctor. Even if she never got to tell him that she loved him, she had gotten to meet him and to her that was enough. She was almost dead she could feel it as her heart got slower and slower. She wouldn't come back, it was game over. It was time for goodbyes.

"Amy you are the most amazing person I have ever met. Make Rory happy and keep him safe for me please. Stay awesome Pond." Astrid whispered, her voice getting slower and slower as she tried her best to breathe. She needed Amy to stay the fiery woman she was. She needed her to be the person she strived to be. She needed her to become the next Amazing Astrid, the person that will keep the Doctor on his toes and be his best friend. She needed her to remember that she was important.

"I promise. But you can stay here and help me make him happy." Amy answered, a small tear trailing its way down her cheek. Astrid couldn't die. It wasn't her time to die, she still had to turn into her future self, she still needed to marry the Doctor. She couldn't just die like that!

"It's my time to go … saving you was worth it." Astrid told Amy a small smile on her face as she tried to keep her eyes open. Amy and Rory clinging to each other crying into the other's shoulder, not even able to watch as she made her final goodbye to the Doctor, the man she loved.

"Doctor." Astrid said, the Doctor kneeling on the ground holding her pale, delicate hand. Astrid was ready for death but nothing in all her time spent alive had she ever been prepared to say goodbye to her Doctor.

"My amazing man. Be the Doctor i've always dreamed of meeting." Astrid whispered to him her breath barely escaping by now. He was the man that lost so many yet he gained nothing in return. She was going to be on that death list of his soon. The people he grieved for because he couldn't do anything to save them. If she was going to die well she was going to give him something in return. She was going to show him that he was a hero. That he shouldn't be scared of himself and most of all that he was not a monster.

"But i'd be even better with you. Just stay …" The Doctor pleaded only to be cut off by Astrid. He was losing her before he met her, he was losing his Astrid and he wouldn't remember her after the fact. His true love was going to die and he would be broken once again and what's more it was all his fault.

"You know as well as I that I lost way too much blood. Doctor I …" Astrid whispered not even having enough power to finish her sentence.

"Please Astrid, no, you're too young to die." The Doctor begged the young girl, his voice breaking as her hand lost all strength within it and she let go.

"Goodbye my dear. Don't forget me." Astrid whispered, her eyes blinking shut as her hearts finally stopped. Her last breath escaping her lips, as tears streamed freely down the Doctor's face. Right when he hoped for the worst however, a white light wrapped around Astrid, her body disappearing as it shimmered out. Astrid was safe she was fine.

* * *

"They're going. We're clear." Amy, told the Doctor, sadness in her voice. She couldn't quite grasp what had just happened, she was in shock. She had no concept of time, everything was blurring together, she didn't hear or think or see. She was in a white haze, she couldn't register anything, it was like she was trapped. Trapped within herself. It was like she had created her own little world to deal with the shock. She was stuck, stuck in her own mind, scratching against the walls of reality. Her own body willing herself to think on what had happened … to acknowledge the inevitable, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. If she dare think about the confusing, frustrating mess she knew she would break down, and no one not even Rory could ever fix her if she did.

"Okay, everyone follow Nasreen. Look for a blue box. Get ready to run." The Doctor told the others. He knew Astrid was safe, and he knew one thing about Astrid, she wouldn't dare give up if he died. He had learned that the hard way. It was so long ago now, it had been in his last body, his tenth body. Rude and not ginger body. When he was about to save Wilfred Mott from that radiation, she panicked. She had known that this was his death, she had known the whole time, yet she panicked. She begged and pleaded with him, even trying to knock him out and handcuff him and take his place. But nothing she tried had worked. It was his song that was ending, not hers, never hers. Tears streamed down her face and he kissed her. He kissed her so passionately, so much fire built into that one single kiss. His emotions pouring out through that one single action. She watched with so much sadness in her eyes as he had made his way to that machine where his death awaited him. She screamed out from fear as she watched him in pain, her mind breaking in two at the thought. She ran to him holding him in her arms as he whimpered as the pain overwhelmed him, helping him stand when he asked. She helped him walk when he was in pain when he was visiting Rose and she held onto his hand when he regenerated even though it must have hurt her more than it hurt him. She never gave up, not once did leave him or say that she only loved his tenth self. She loved them all, and if she was dead or even close to death, he would not give up. Not at all.

"Doctor, We've got less than six minutes." Amy updated, his thoughts shutting off for a moment as he thought on what she had said. Six minutes, six whole minutes to get to the Tardis. Six full long minutes until he would finally be able to find out where Astrid went. Six minutes until he was home free as the saying goes. No … that saying was rubbish forget the saying. He only had six minutes until the whole place went kaboom and everyone not in hibernation died. He needed to save them all. He needed to save them all or he would hate himself even more so then he did and another round of people would be dead on his watch. He needed to save them or Astrid would be extremely angry with him, just like when she slapped him super hard for acting like the Timelord Victorious. He did not want an angry woman on his case. Not two heartbeats would he ever want that! Six minutes to rescue seven humans. He could do it. The Doctor was in!

"Go. Go! I'm right behind you. Let's go." The Doctor told the others making sure they all got out the door before turning to the two still standing in place, tears in their eyes as they watched their family run away from them. They had to stay down here, they had to stay with each other, they had just found love and they were never letting it go.

"Immediate evacuation." The computer announced the sound bouncing throughout the compound. It felt like a normal sound, loud and mechanical. The sort of sound that made everything seem just a tiny bit more human. However, nothing was as it seemed. This wasn't the top of the earth where everything was technology and hordes of people scurrying around, going about their normal lives. This was miles and miles beneath the earth, where lizard aliens called Silurians lived. Unbeknownst to the billions of people on earth, several of yards underneath the earth a war was being fought. They had no clue that five humans were running for their lives, running to a blue box that the strange Doctor had sent them to find. They had no clue that the lizard aliens were marching towards the humans where a war would start beneath their had no idea that the fate of the earth was in the balance, their lives were in the Doctor's hands.

Meanwhile deep below the surface in the middle of that action, a very confused Rory was running past his very annoyed wife as she made her way quickly to the Tardis.

"Other way, idiot." She screamed at him, as he passed her, her mind preoccupied at the moment. Astrid had died in front of her. She had died and then disappeared. She had disappeared in a flash of white energy that the Doctor had told her was a transport of some sort. He had said it was sort of like his Tardis, but not his Tardis. So did that mean she was still alive somewhere? Did the white energy heal her too? Was she going to be alright? Astrid had told her that she was amazing, her? Amazing? She had failed to save her friend, and if Astrid was alive, wherever she was, she would find her and tell her face to face. It was so crazy to process, Astrid was still out there.

"Toxic fumigation is about to commence. Immediate evacuation." The computer screeched, snapping the sassy scot out of her thoughts. Rory running quickly after his fiery fiance. He too was flabbergasted at the events that had occurred. He had watched as Astrid's blood had poured out of her. He saw her as her stomach raised slowly up and down, her heart slowing down as she struggled to stay conscious. He listened as she told him to be brave, telling him to love Amy, telling him that falling through that crack had been worth it since it meant meeting him, telling him she loved him and that he was a wonderful best friend. He listened as he thanked her, as he tried with all his might to suppress the wound from bleeding so he could keep her alive. He listened as her voice quieted down to a whisper, begging him with as much energy as she could to get Amy and the Doctor. He watched as she had told Amy to stay awesome and be the person she had always wanted to meet, telling her to love him and that saving her was worth dying for. He listened, tears pooling down his cheeks as her last words telling the Doctor that she loved him were cut short. He watched heartbroken as she her last breath escaped her lungs and her body stopped moving, her eyelids closing as she was encased in a white light, her body being whisked away never to be seen again. Where had he gone wrong, he had lost a friend. He could have saved her life but he hadn't. His best friend was gone. She had died.

"Come on." The Doctor called at Rory, watching as he shook his head and ran after the Doctor, wiping away the remains of tears that had escaped his eyes. The Doctor knew better, Rory had been grieving. Grieving for Astrid of whom he thought was dead. Crying for his best friend. What Rory hadn't known However, was that the light had saved her, she was safe and alive and wherever, and whenever she was she would find her way back to him, of that he was sure.

* * *

It was pure blinding white where she was. She could feel the light burn her as it touched her skin, curling over her like wisps of the sun. It hurt, pain tearing through her body as time seemed to fast forward. Where was she? Was she dead? The last thing she remembered was her heart stopping as a big white light washed over her body and placed her here. Where was here? If she was still alive would the Doctor save her?

The pain stung her body as she screamed out in pain the memory of what happened replying in her head, the same picture over and over racing through her mind. The picture of Rory dying in Amy's arms and a white light placing him in Roman times, and the thought of her failing her best friend. She had died before saving her best friend. She had died before saving Rory.


	7. Ch 7: A New Chapter

Lightning, the pale flash of white pulsing through the sky, loud banging racketing off the dark deary sky. Rain pouring down outside as the storm brewed, rain pelting against the metal of the bars on the windows as they pushed against it creating a constant ringing noise. The noise however didn't even faze the young woman with the crazy hair sitting on the tiny bench in the corner. It was a normal sort of thing, almost routine for her. After all this was Stormcage. The perfect prison for the baddest of criminals. And she was River Song, the worst criminal. The bad, bad girl who had simply done nothing wrong. It had been a perfect day so far, quiet, which was unusual, but perfect. She hadn't gotten any calls to fix any of the Doctor's mistakes, and no calls saying that he was in danger which meant she had no need to escape. So all in all it had been a pretty good day, considering she was in stormcage for the rest of her life of course. What River Song hadn't known however was that her peaceful day was going to go from peaceful to hectic in a matter of seconds.

* * *

A white light much like the lightning sparked inside River's cell, causing a look of sparkling happiness to shine in her eyes. She knew that flash of light. It was her. The flash of color got bigger and bigger, wisps of light tendrils reaching out as if to shake her hand. Then as quickly as it had came it disappeared leaving a young ginger haired girl lying on the floor, very nearly unconcious. River ran over, the smile suddenly wiped off her lips as she saw the blood. She froze in shock as she looked around. Blood everywhere. Her body white as ash and her lips pale as if she was a ghost. Her breathing barely there and her heartbeat irregular. Something had happened. Astrid was hurt. She watched as her eyelids fluttered closed making River fear that she would drift into unconsciousness if she wasn't stopped. She unfroze quickly, jumping into action. Astrid needed help and she needed help now.

"Astrid! Are you alright! Astrid wake up! Please don't fall asleep!" She whispered pleadingly, stroking her hand through the young girl's hair. It was scary to know that at any moment she could fall asleep and never wake up again. Die before she learned who she was to the Doctor and to her. She needed to stay alive. After all River had been through for her and all Astrid had done for her she needed to stay alive. If she died a giant paradox would rip the universe apart. She was the universe. If she died the universe died with her and everything in the whole universe, in any universe would rip apart. She was a big walking talking complicated space time event. Her timeline was everywhere and everywhen, backwards and forwards, linear and nonlinear. Astrid was both nonexistent and existing. She was the beginning of everything and the end of it all. A goddess and a trickster. If she died nothing would exist, and that was the scariest thing of all.

"Help me Riv...River." Astrid said quietly, trying her best to talk as the blood loss weakened her every moment. From what she had understood, the light had brought her back to life momentarily, only for her to get to wherever she had gotten to. In her weak state she hadn't noticed her surrounding, all she knew is that River was here and to her that was enough. River would help her. Astrid was positive.

"Don't worry i've got you. You'll be fine." River said, tears trailing down her cheeks as she tried her best to compose herself. River Song was strong, she was who she had become after overcoming hell. The little child inside her was the crier. The weak little kid inside her that begged to be released. She didn't feel like River Song. River Song who could make a cyberman delete itself. She felt like her old self, her regular self, her Melody Pond self. Astrid was the first person to ever make an impact on her life that long, long time ago when she was a child in a scary orphanage. Astrid had helped her and now all these years later she could help Astrid. She wasn't crying for just anyone, she was crying for the woman that changed her younger self's life. The person that helped her change into River Song and start the next chapter in her life. She was crying for her imaginary friend. Her best friend. Her Astrid Selene. As quick as she could she stood up and rushed through her stuff, grabbing a small green bottle. She walked the short distance back to Astrid, gingerly helping her drink the medicine and then picking her up and gently placing her on the bench she had previously been sitting on. Everything floating into darkness as Astrid rested peacefully on the cot. Everything would be fine, Astrid was safe.

* * *

Everything hurt. Not like the pain it had been before, no, just a soreness that felt like a million bruises all over her body. Which was just slightly better than before. Her eyes blinked open taking in her surroundings. Stormcage which equaled River Song! Squeee! It was like her inner fangirl's dream come true. Amy and Rory and the Doctor were cool, but River! River was her favorite character. She was guns and lipstick and high heels. She was Astrid's role model more so than any person in the Doctor Who world. River Song meant fun, and after the day she had had she was more than ready for a conversation with her favorite person in the universe. She sat up, just barely noticing the rough white bandage wrapped around her middle and a new Tardis blue shirt on her that fit her just right. What exactly had happened last night? She wasn't dead? Again? What was it with her and dying, she wasn't Clara Oswald for crying out loud!

"Good Morning Sweetie." River Song told the girl with a bright smile on her face, watching as Astrid broke out into a giant goofy smile. River understood that smile it meant this was the first time meeting her. It was the smile that future Astrid had dubbed the Geek Out. It was the smile that Astrid had told her was the main indicator that it was her first meeting. She was ready for this though. She had been ready for this day for a long time now. She had thought it would kill her but it only hurt because River knew she would be shaping Astrid into who she would later become.

"You know, I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to meet such an innocent, younger version of you. But here we are." River said to the girl, a mix of joy and sadness mixed into her tone. To be honest from the way future Astrid had spoken to her she hadn't thought she would ever meet the younger version of Astrid. Astrid had given her a few pictures but other than that there was no hint that she would ever get to meet her when she was younger and innocent to the life her future held. She didn't think she would be lucky enough to see her so small and meek. She was young, very young. This was Astrid at the beginning, before all the pain and sadness. This was Astrid right at the very start.

"Yeah, I'm only fourteen what did you expect? God I feel so sore. Geez." Astrid told her, wincing as she tried to stand up. River rushing over to aid her as she rocked side to side, her whole body unstable. River must have fixed her somehow. She had already established that she wasn't dead, so how had she stayed alive after appearing here? If she were to guess it was something sciency that was some type of healing medicine in like the eighty first century or something that had fixed her up, it usually was in these kinds of situations. Especially in this universe. So what medicine had River given her that had fixed her up with no pain other than a dull ache?

"Yeah, I gave you a healing tonic, and I bandaged that baby up. You'll be sore for a while but other then that you're not dying." River told her a smirk on her face as she did so. She was lucky she had some of the healing tonic left over, She had stolen it from the fourth garden planet of Agora. The king of the planet had fancied her and she had took that advantage and had stolen the tonic in case of emergencies. It had come in handy a few times already, healing things that had gotten damaged during one adventure or another. She was really grateful that she had it left over if not Astrid would have been in some serious trouble considering the amount of blood she had lost. She had been able to help Astrid and for that she was glad.

"So where are we … did you do the Torchwood party yet?" River asked the girl, paging through her small blue book as if to humor herself. She knew this was the first meeting. She just knew. But this was her habit, her book was what kept her just a tiny bit sane. She needed her diary to cope. Taking away her diary meant a mental breakdown for her. It was her one constant, the one thing she always had. Her timeline was backward she had no constant friends or family, her guns were on the Tardis since she had no need for them here which meant that they weren't constant. But her book, her beautiful diary with all of her wonderful memories was always with her. No matter where she went it was in her hand. Her diary was her friend when no one else was here. It was the only thing always by her side and without it she was broken. Asking Astrid was her assurance that even though it was Astrid's first meeting that after today Astrid would always know just who she was.

"No but that sounds amazing, I can't wait until I do! " Astrid said with glee a giant smile on her face and a dazzle in her eye as they glowed a dull pink color. Just the sound of a party at Torchwood made her happy that it was a part of her future. Who cared how far in the future, she was just glad that she would be able to be a part of it. If you think about it River and Jack in one room was flirt city. There was no way that the party would be anything less than fun! River and Jack together in one room was like her dream come true.

"It's one hell of a party. Jack, alcohol, and aliens what more can make a girl happy." River proclaimed in a flirty tone. It had been an excellent party and a spoiler she was not upset to have told. It had been a birthday planned for Astrid and it was a pretty awesome party. It had been entertaining too considering Astrid had been mostly drunk the whole time. She had even tried kissing Jack before she had pried Astrid off of him trying to explain to her in her drunken state that Jack was most definitely not the one that she loved. She had then giggled like a mad woman and had fallen asleep right there on the floor. It had been fun to say the least especially with the load of blackmail she had on Astrid after the fact. She had learned not only that Jack had no boundaries at all when it came to who he was kissing and or flirting with, but she had also learned that Astrid was very, very open when she drank alcohol. She also had no boundaries while drunk, and she was also extremely honest … about, well, everything.

"Wait, so you have my adventures written down in there? Shouldn't it be yours and the Doctors adventures?" Astrid asked confused. If she had her facts straight, and she always did, it was the Doctor's and River's way to find out where they were in their timeline. So if that was the case then why were her adventures also added to River's diary? She wasn't anyone of importance to River. Not like the Doctor was, anyways. At much as it broke her to admit River was the Doctor's wife. The Doctor didn't love her, at least not in a romantic sort of way. He loved all of his companions and she was one of them now so that included her. The Doctor will be if not already, in love with River, and even if that concept hurt her she was content with it, because River was perfect for him in every way. River was brave, and selfless, and beautiful, and smart and she wasn't. She was plain, not beautiful. She was average, not even close to smart. And she was weak, not brave, she cried when she was scared, very unlike River who laughed in the face of fear. And last but not least, she wouldn't ever be selfless. She was selfish and cared more about her weak pathetic life than anyone else. She was a nobody, so why did River have her adventures down in her diary?

"Oh, I have my adventures written down too, but you gave me the book so I write down our meetings as well." River told her, not even realising she had let a spoiler slip. It was true though, in her moment of weakness when she had been hurt and trying to figure out who she was, Astrid had come. Astrid had saved her. She had given her the missing piece of the puzzle, she had given her the diary. It had been new then, not as ragged and worn as it was now from her constantly reading it. She had given her the blue book that had become her only constant. The book that had become her home.

"I gave you the book?" Astrid asked once again in confusion. This had been another thing that had changed because of her. Not only had the timelines changed, but now very, very important events were too! What's more it was even more her fault than not saving Rory had been. If major events change, time can be rewritten. If certain things were rewritten because of her being here could result in time ripping apart before it should, which would then cause paradox after paradox. None of the results from the paradox were good, which just made it even worse. She really shouldn't have come here, not one bit. The most important question, however, was why? Why had she given her the book?

"Yeah of course you did. After all you are my friend." River said carefully, trying her best not to let the major spoiler about Astrid's life slip. If Astrid knew about who she was before she turned into who she was in the future it would literally rip a hole in each and every universe. She was the key that held the universe together. She was the goddess of time, someone made so special that if she was turned into herself before she was meant to she would die. She couldn't know the real reason behind giving her that book and she wouldn't until she lived through that part of her life. For now she would stick a simple yet very nice reason, their friendship.

"Ooh, I like being your friend. You were always like my favorite person ever!" Astrid said with tons of enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling as she smiled a very bright smile. River Song was her friend! River Song, the badass of the whovian world knew who she was in the future! River bloody SONG! They hung out together as friends! Not only had she won the honor of becoming the Doctor's companion, traveling around with him in all of time and space. But she also got to go on adventures with River Song! River Song was her absolute favorite person in the whole entire universe!

"Of course I am. I am after all the person who taught you how to escape handcuffs and how to play strip poker. Now there's a spoiler for you!" River told the young girl a smirk on her lips. Astrid had come to her cell at stormcage late one night, a fierce gaze on her lips as she asked her how to seduce a man. She had complained in a very grumpy mood that the Doctor hadn't been paying her any attention as of late. Not even one kiss in a span of six months. She had told her she had tried getting his attention, even hinting at the obvious lack of kisses, but the Doctor had been oblivious as always. So, angry at the man had gone straight to River to get pointers on seducing, hoping that if she turned him on then maybe just maybe he would start to pay her more attention. She had taught her the one simple solution to any man's heart; high heels, short dress, red lipstick and of course … her favorite accessory, handcuffs. She taught her several ways to escape handcuffs in case of any emergencies and they had finished the conversation with a nice lesson on how to play strip poker.

"This all so surreal, I'm actually here, this isn't a dream." Astrid stated out of the blue, snapping River out of her very naughty thoughts. This wasn't just some fancy dream where she later finds out that none of this reality was real, right? No, it wasn't she had already established that after the immense pain she had been it. There was no faking that. So this was really her reality. This was more then amazing, this was everything her heart wanted.

"What do you mean dear?" River asked her, a small smile on her face as she watched the young girl's surprised features. She thought this was all a dream … bless. Poor girl probably had only been in this universe for a few hours at the most and she thought that none of it was real. That must be pretty heartbreaking considering she thought that at any moment the one thing she wanted most would disappear right in front of her eyes, like any dream. Yes, it was surreal in some cases but she was only a young girl, she had to be given some credit considering how well she was holding up. Most girls her age would be mad, or upset and confused but she merely stood their, happiness in her eyes as she tried to figure out why she was here.

"Well, all my life I've dreamed of meeting you and the Doctor and

Amy and everyone else … I've always dreamed of escaping my reality. And now that I actually am here … well it's amazing no doubt about it. But it's also extremely scary." Astrid said a tone of fear in her voice. The universe was amazing, but there was also great sorrow and pain in it. Darkness that no light could ever reach, and it was one of the scariest things ever.

"How so? The fact that the aliens are real?" River asked her, trying to get the scared girl to open up. River, from her past of being kidnapped by aliens understood where the young girl was coming from. She understood the fear of the darkness of the universe. The creeping fear that surrounding her body and broke her. The constant need to be on her guard so none of the darkness could get her. This was the base of what turned Astrid into future Astrid. The fear of the aliens, and River understood.

"No the aliens don't scare me, well not as much as they should, at least. I know that you and the Doctor will save me every time. What scares me is that now that I'm here I won't ever get to go back. I'll never get to see my friends or my family, I won't get to see the people I love ever again. I won't get to see my mom smile proudly at me for something I've done, I won't get to watch my sisters run around playing dress up, I won't get to kiss a boy. Nothing. My life as Astrid Selene Salisbury is over." She told River, silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she thought of all the things she would never get to see or do again.

"Oh, Sweetie. Just because you won't get to go back doesn't mean your life is over. It simply means that your done with that chapter of your life and that your starting a new one. Just because you didn't get to do some of that stuff doesn't mean you won't get to do it here." River replied, wiping the tears off of Astrid like a mother would a child. Giving her a small reassuring smile.

"What if I don't want to start a new chapter? What if I want to start a whole new book?" Astrid asked River, pain in her voice as she spoke. She didn't want to move on and grow as a person without her family and friends here by her side. She wanted a change. She wanted to be someone new.

"What do you mean?" River asked, already having a fairly good guess to what was going on. Like she had said, she knew Astrid in the future. She didn't know Astrid Salisbury but she did know the person she would become. Today was the day. Today Astrid would leave her past behind her and start anew.

"What if I want to start over. Screw being Astrid Salisbury. I want to be hell on heels, I want to be Astrid Selene. I want to break hearts and crush souls. I want to write a new book as a new me." Astrid stated a smirk on her lips as her eyes blazed with joy. She was ready to change. She was ready to turn into the person she knew River would later now her as. She wasn't Astrid Salisbury the shy, selfish little brat, that was afraid of everything. From now on she would strive to be the best she could be. She would be Astrid Selene, the fiery, brave, and outspoken companion of the Doctor. Not only that, but from now on she swore to herself that with every ounce of her being that she would rescue any of her friends from pain with her foreknowledge. Even if it meant her death. No more selfish brat. She would be selfless.

"Well, I'm probably not the best role model, but I say go for it! Do the stuff you never got to do as Astrid Salisbury. Between you and me I know you do eventually do some of the things you've mentioned. So go … become Astrid Selene, write that book of yours." River said proudly, a glimmer in her eyes as she watched Astrid go one step closer into becoming the person River knew in the future.

"Wait, hold up now! This is very very important. Do I ever kiss a boy?" Astrid said, ruining River's train of thought. It was important though, to her at least. If she never got to be with the Doctor she wanted to know if she would ever find love again. Would she marry, or would she be forever lonely, no one but herself on her side?

"I'd say spoilers but that's not very fun now is it." River told her, small giggles escaping her throat, as she tried her best to compose herself. She was known for not telling any spoilers, but today she could make an exception.

"You better not hold out on me River Song. I know your parents." Astrid replied to her huffingly. She needed to know, if her heart would be too broken to love again after the heartbreak from the Doctor. She needed to know if her heart was broken for good, or if she slowly learned to love again.

"Is that supposed to sound like a threat?" River asked a huge smile on her face as she rolled her eyes jokingly at the young innocent girl. Astrid was funny when she was young that was for sure.

"I suppose it is. Now tell me Song!" Astrid said in a loud demanding tone. Or at least as demanding as she could be with a throbbing middle.

"You do kiss someone in the future, yes." River replied, staring at the young girl as she thought of the several kisses she would share with the Doctor in the very near future. Yes she got her kiss, what's more she got to kiss the man she loved. Not bad for a first kiss as far as first kisses go.

"Is he hot? Because if I'm placing these lips on anybody they better be smoking hot." Astrid said, causing River to laugh once again at her antics. If she thought the Doctor was hot, that would be a problem. To be honest he wasn't close to hot, he had a certain childish aura to his features and it seemed like he was too young to River, to ever be considered hot. Especially not since he insisted on wearing so many ridiculous hats, and don't even get her started on that bowtie.

"Spoilers sweetie. Now you should be getting back to the Doctor, Have fun. Hope to see you soon!" River told her, placing an extra vortex manipulator on her wrist and typing in the coordinates to where the Doctor currently was. As sad as it was for her, it was time for goodbyes, a young Astrid like this would worry the Doctor if she was gone too long, and she had a promise to live up to, whether she liked it or not.

"Before I go … River, what am I like … the older me? Do I turn out alright?" Astrid asked River, anxiety in her voice. River knew her in the future and she desperately needed answers. She needed to know if she would be ok in the future. Even if she was heartbroken and a little upset she needed to know if the new her moved past it alright. She needed consolation that everything would turn out for the better, and no one better to console her than the River Song.

"You turn out just fine Astrid." River told her a smile on her face as Astrid disappeared into a white flash. Astrid would be more than ok. She would save cities and nations. Civilizations bowing down at her feet and the love of her life next to her forever helping. She wouldn't just be ok. Astrid was going to be amazing!


	8. Ch 8: Vincent and The Doctor Pt 1

**P.S: Sorry this update is so short.**

* * *

White again. She had disappeared in a flash of light and here she was yet again in a blur of white. Something was different here. Weird different. She could feel time speeding past her fast forwarding her through time and hurtling her to her destination. She could feel time here. Wherever here was, she hadn't really figured that out yet. The flash of light that she had begun to call her friend surrounding her once again, her whole body starting to ache as it got bigger and bigger. It was surrounding her now making her body tingle, her stomach rolling as the light rolled around her in waves, making her nauseous. As quick as a it had come, the flash died out, her eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness around her. A sudden yell from right to next to her knocking her out of her thoughts.

"ASTRID!" The Doctor shouted gleefully, a large smile on his face as he stared at Astrid. He had been right she was alive. She wasn't his Astrid yet but she sure had the future Astrid's powers that was for sure. She was slowly becoming his Astrid and this just proved it even more. She was alright, she was okay. She wasn't dead, no bloody gash on her stomach and no blood pouring out of her. No green shirt either, had she changed her shirt? The blue shirt she wore now, looked very good on her, it complimented her hair in a very nice way and it brought out the green in her hazel brown eyes. She was beautiful to him. Her red hair sat on her shoulders in waves, looking so much like the beautiful red grass from Gallifrey that it made him smile even wider. Her perfect pink lips sitting delicately on her lips, as if begging him to kiss them, and last but not least her tiny little nose that wrinkled up when she got excited. She was the picture of perfection and he was glad she was still alive.

"Your not dead!" Amy said confused, running over to the pair. She had known Astrid was alive but how? She understood that the light she had seen around Astrid was some sort of transport saver thing but she didn't understand it other than that. That was the Doctor's territory, not hers. So what she didn't understand is why Astrid had come back here? From what she had seen when she had met future Astrid is that she never met the Doctor in a straight line it was usually all wibbly. She didn't quite understand what that meant but wouldn't it mean that she wouldn't come to this version of the Doctor and go to some future version or something? Oh my gosh was this even their Astrid? Was their Astrid somewhere else and this was an Astrid from a tiny bit in the future? Was Astrid even still alive?

"Last time I checked, no i'm not dead, I'm a bit sore though." Astrid told the pair, rubbing her aching stomach with a wince. Yes she was alive. How? The answer was simple, River Song had saved her. How she had managed to stay alive that long was beyond her, but apparently it hadn't been game over for her. She still didn't have more than one live, but one thing she did have was help. She had friends here. Good friends, friends that would give up everything to save her, and she promised with all her might that she would be just as loyal. She was Astrid Selene now. She was the Doctor's companion. She wasn't chosen for the mystery that surrounds her. She was chosen because of her attitude. She was brave now. Brave and selfless, the perfect combination, with those two traits mixed together she was invincible. She was unstoppable. She was alive.

"I'm so glad you're okay! Do you um … feel weird … like you forgot something." The Doctor asked Astrid, curiosity at the tip of his tongue. Amy had forgotten him, Amy had forgotten Rory. But Astrid was a special case. She came from a parallel world. A parallel world that had taught her everything she knows. She may have been extremely close to Rory, but who knew what she remembered. She didn't look sad, in fact she looked happy, really happy. She must have known that Rory was going to die, so why was she happy? Did she forget him?

"No I'm fine you silly man. I still remember him. That adventure was a part of the show so everything is intact." She told the Doctor, laughing at the Doctor's 'subtle' question. Her smirk quickly forming into a frown as she thought of what had happened to ... _him._ She knew that Rory had suffered. She understood that it was all her fault and yet, she felt no guilt. She didn't understand … she had been guilty the whole time she had known what was going to happen to him. She had been guilty every ticking second of her awaiting death, and now nothing. No guilty feeling ripping away at her chest and making her feel disgusting, nothing! It was like ever since she had changed who she was she felt different. She no longer felt like the shy, weak, little girl that only cared about herself. She felt renewed. She felt like she had some sort of power floating within her. She felt fiery, she felt strong like she could overpower anyone and anything, not just physically but emotionally too. But most of all she felt happy, she felt whole, like she was herself and not just some meek little ghost. She was ready to take on the universe.

"So whatcha doing?" She asked the others, unsure of where River had sent her. She knew it was somewhere without Rory so using her knowledge that only brought it down to about three places she knew that River could have sent her. It didn't look like Craig's apartment, nor was Amy in that episode so she knew that it couldn't be the episode The Lodger. So judging from her surroundings it was either Vincent and the Doctor or the beginning of the Pandorica Opens. So the question was, where were they out of those two possible destinations and what were they doing. If she knew at what point in time the Doctor was then she could safely talk knowing that she wouldn't let any huge spoilers slip that could destroy time. So what were they doing?

"We are painting a church with Vincent Van Gogh!" The Doctor told the young girl with childish excitement in his voice. His plan had worked! Like he had said before, he knew Astrid inside and out, and one thing that he knew about his future Astrid, is that she loved Vincent Van Gogh. In fact, Vincent was her favorite painter. So, using his big timelordy brain he figured out a plan to bring Astrid back to him. It was simple, go somewhere Astrid liked and Astrid would appear! Not only did it bring his Astrid back to him but it was also taking Amy's mind off of the sense of loss she felt that she couldn't explain. Vincent was not only Astrid's favorite but Amy's as well, and it was the perfect break for the two girls.

"Who is the girl that just appeared out of thin air?" Vincent asked, walking up to the three with a paintbrush between his fingers. She seemed unique, she had a certain aura around her that seemed familiar, perhaps she was also mad like himself. But why would a young child as sweet and innocent as her suffer madness? She seemed happy and not the least bit upset like Amy. She seemed magical too, like she had powers and intelligence that were beyond her. A girl of mystery with a dash of madness, yes that's what she was. A beautiful mysterious girl. As if a giant lightbulb had cast over his head he grabbed his easel and began to paint.

"I'm no one special just ignore me." Astrid said to Vincent, watching him curiously from afar as he focused on whatever he was painting. Probably the church if she was correct. She wasn't special … no, she was just some mediocre nobody. Sure, she was the Doctor's companion, but that didn't make her special, if anything it made her just a speck among the stars. Nothing more nothing less. A speck of sand in the sea of millions of particles of the universe. Nobody but Astrid.

"No she's not special, she's extremely special." The Doctor said, a frown set on his face, barely noticeable to anyone but him. Why would Astrid ever think that she wasn't special. She was so special, especially to him. She was beautiful, and kind, and brave, and intelligent, and so, so selfless. She was perfect in every way, but most of all she was special. Astrid always tried to make herself feel like she wasn't actually supposed to be here, that she was a nobody. But she was so much more than that. She was everything. She was so much to him that it broke his hearts that she would ever think otherwise. She was special, and she needed to stop making herself think badly about herself.

"So um lemme guess … an invisible alien is killing people and you want to have Vincent here paint the church so he shows up. Oh … and you have this weird machine mirror thingy so you can see him which really helps because in reality only Vincent can see him." Astrid deducted, a small smirk on her face as she watched the Doctor's mouth gape open in surprise.

"That was … well, that was bloody amazing!" The Doctor replied to Astrid, his eyes wide as he tried to comprehend what Astrid had just said. Not one day had gone by that Astrid hadn't been able to amaze him. It was amazing that anyone would ever understand things on the same level his brain did. She was smart. No that was an understatement, she was a genius. He could go off on a ramble and she would have the brain capacity to actually follow along and understand him. She was his amazing Astrid, the girl that amazed him.

"I know, I'm awesome. Oh, and also, a word of advice, shut your mouth, you'll catch flies." Astrid told the Doctor, sass seeping into her tone. She had to admit, she was pretty awesome. She had the chance to travel with the Doctor, a chance that no one from her universe had. Anyone from her universe would do anything to be in her place, some going even as low as killing someone to get what they wanted. She was someone awesome. She was the Doctor's friend and companion, and for that she was grateful.

"There. He's at the window." Vincent said, placing the paintbrush he was holding gently into his pocket, and pointing towards the ugly black beast. He looked around looking for the Doctor, and instead looked at the very frightened eyes of the young orange haired child. She looked scared, her eyebrows knitted in confusion and her lips open in a silent scream. She looked as if she knew what was going on, yet she looked pale as if something about what was going on made her afraid. Well, thinking of the situation it was a perfectly normal reaction. But this was Astrid, the girl that the Doctor had told him had all knowing powers. She had to know what was going on right? So why was she reacting in this way?

"Where?" The Doctor asked the painter, quickly grabbing his metallic box- like machine, a mad man smile on his face. Finally! After all that time waiting something interesting was happening. Something exciting! Now that the alien had **finally** decided to show up, he could actually find a way to get it home and stop all this killing nonsense. Now that he thought about it, time passed by too slowly. He was going to have to have a little word with time, he traveled in a time machine and yet he was having to wait hours for an alien attack. It was just plain rude! Time better straighten up or he was going to get bored, and when he was bored … well … he just hoped it would never come to that.

"There, on the right." Vincent replied to the man, pointing out the exact location of the invisible monster. Never in his whole life had he ever thought he would end up here, lonely and fighting an alien from beyond the stars. Yet he wasn't lonely now was he? He had the Doctor, Astrid, and the lovely Amy to keep him company. They made his broken heart full again and they fixed the madness that had slowly settled within his soul. Once they left he would never again feel the happiness they had planted on his life. So, he would make the most of it now and repay them for all they had done for him. He would repay them with help.

"As I thought. I'm going in." The Doctor replied, wrapping the metal contraption around his stomach, and grabbing his sonic from inside his pocket. It was time! It was finally time to defeat the monster and save the universe … again for that matter. It was time for the fun part. The try not to die while running for your life, time. It was time to have some fun! Well … as fun as you can have while trying to not get killed by an angry invisible monster.

"Well I'm coming too." Vincent replied, starting to gather his art supplies as he got ready to enter the church. He could see what the others couldn't and that meant that he had to be their eyes. He had to search out the monster and direct the three to where it was, so the Doctor could do whatever he did to save this town from mass murder. He was their strength, the thing that could help them defeat the terrible beast. He had to go in that church even if it meant his death.

"No! You're Vincent Van Gogh. No." The Doctor told Vincent, adamant about the man not going in. If vincent Van Gogh died history would be rewritten, time would die. That would not happen, not on his watch. Besides he was too busy at the moment to deal with both an alien and a rip in time. He wouldn't be able to handle both! He'd leave the rip in time to happen another time, today he was too busy for potential danger to the universe. He was already too busy trying to not get Vincent Van Gogh killed, he definitely didn't need the whole universe in peril on top of all that. He was a Doctor, but even he wasn't that good of a Doctor.

"But you're not armed." Vincent told the man, shock in his tone. He couldn't let the Doctor to go to his death all because he simply didn't help the man! He was clearly insane! Why would a man facing danger ever want to face it alone? Most people in this situation would ask as many people as they could to help them, but that was simply not the case here. Why would the Doctor want to go in alone to most definitely die when he had two people out here who cared for him so much. Why would he go in that church without any weapons and expect to live? Why would he go in without him.

"I am armed." The Doctor replied, a smirk on his lips as he prepared to go inside. He was always prepared, there was hardly ever a day where he wasn't, and it was all thanks to Astrid too. Without her, half of his plans would have failed by now. She was the one with the backup plan. She always had a backup plan for when and if his plans failed. She was his inspiration. He was ready and armed and he was going to save the world yet again.

"What are you armed with?" Vincent asked, looking at the Doctor with confusion built into his eyes. He didn't seem to have any sort of weapon on his person, just a weird metal thing that seemed more like a box than anything else. How was he supposed to go against a large invisible beast whose intention was killing people when he had nothing to stop it with? The answer was simple, he would die. Vincent couldn't let him die, he was too friendly of a man to die because of a lack of intelligence. If he thought he was armed then what with, if not a weapon of mass destruction?

"Overconfidence, this, and a small screwdriver. I'm absolutely sorted. Just have to find the right crosactic setting and stun him with it. Sonic never fails. Anyway, Amy, only one thought, one simple instruction. Don't follow under any circumstances. Astrid, same goes to you, I'm not gonna almost lose you again." The Doctor said staring at them and expecting an answer, a hint of fear in his voice. Astrid was fine and back with him, but if she followed him … which knowing her she would, she could end up getting hurt again. He was worried about her, there wasn't a moment where he wasn't. She was always in danger with him, there was always a threat no matter where he took her. As long as she was with him she was always seconds away from death, and it scared him terribly so. But he couldn't do anything about it, he loved her and a moment away from her resulted in terrible pain that broke both his hearts. She needed to stay here. She needed to stay safe.

"I won't follow you." Amy replied, a faux smile on her face. She knew the Doctor, not as well as Astrid knew the Doctor of course, but the Doctor was after all her best friend, so she did know quite a few things about him. One thing she did know about the Doctor is that he needed someone with him at all times, to take care of him and protect him from harm, but most of all to stop him. He needed someone to tell him when he has gone too far, and there was no one better for the job than her and Astrid. He listened to her because of her attitude, she phrased things in a way that made him listen to her and made her do what she says. But Astrid, she had a whole other power over him. The Doctor had a weak spot for Astrid, if she said stop he stopped. Even if the Doctor's conscience had stopped working a long time ago, he still had one, Astrid was his conscience and for her he would do anything. Oh, she promised she would stay alright but it didn't mean she would.

"Fine! I won't follow you, but only because I have to." Astrid said to the Doctor, rolling her eyes as she did. He was such an idiot sometimes, for a man that had intelligence beyond this earth. He needed someone there to help him. He needed help. It was like he didn't comprehend that he couldn't do everything himself. The whole reason he had companions was to stop him from making stupid decisions. Well, she was a companion now and what he was doing right now she deemed stupid. Only a complete and utter idiot would walk into a room with a killer alien that was not seeable to them and try to contain them with absolutely no weapons. Sure, he had a sonic screwdriver and a big metal box, but the box would end up broken in less than five minutes and the sonic screwdriver wouldn't even do any damage to the great beast. Sure she had promised she would stay here, but promises are made to broken after all.

"Will you follow him?" Vincent asked the pair, watching as the Doctor ran inside the church. He seemed like he would need some help, and there was no one better than his two friends to help him. He seemed like a nice man, but a nice man facing a giant monster meant death for the man. Only a cruel man would win against a monster like that, and the Doctor was not a cruel man. He would surely lose the battle without any help, he needed the two ladies, he needed them to follow him.

"Of course I'm gonna follow him" Amy said with a smirk on her face. Didn't the Doctor know not to tell her to stay put? She would end up following him no matter what he said, so what was the point in telling her to stay here, when it obviously wasn't going to happen. It was like telling her to stop breathing. It wasn't going to happen. Besides, the Doctor was in the middle of the fun bit! If she stayed here she would miss out on the best part! She wasn't going to listen to his pleas, begging them to stay out of harm's way. No one told her what to do. And well, she knew Astrid was going to be following the Doctor, so she really wanted to make sure Astrid stayed safe, especially after what had happened last time. She was absolutely going to be following him into that church.

"I'm coming with you." Astrid spoke up, voicing her thoughts with a wide smile, her eyes glowing a dull pink color. Her eyes sparkling with so much happiness that it looked as though she had the stars in her eyes. She was so not letting the Doctor have all the fun. She was not a damsel in distress that needed to be kept out of dangerous situations. She lived for danger, in fact the only thing that kept her breathing was danger. Telling her to stay away from danger just made her want to be even closer to danger. It was like telling her not to touch something, whenever you tell someone not to do something they do it. Well, she was worse. Oh, she was going into that church whether the Doctor liked it or not. It was not his choice whether she participated on adventures or not, she was participating.

* * *

The Doctor crept inside the church building, staying as close as he could to the darkened wall. The cold stone of the building rubbing against his back and scratching his arm, freezing the tips of his fingers as he placed his hand on the wall. Loud screeches resounding off the walls as the Krafayis could be heard in the distance. He carefully grabbed out his sonic screwdriver, scanning his surroundings with it. The green orb being the only light in the dark, musty place.

* * *

"Has he moved?" Amy asked Vincent, fear in her eyes. The Doctor was alone until Astrid decided to follow him, and until that time came he was more prone to making a dangerous decision compared to if they were with him. Vincent could see what was happening, he could see where the monster was. Vincent could tell her if the Doctor was alright. He could tell her if he moved.

"No. He just moved over to the next window. I think he's turning now though." Astrid replied, straining her head to see the not so invisible monster. This was wrong, she shouldn't be able to see the alien, yet she could. The only person who should be able to see it is Vincent, not her. Sure, yeah she was supposedly special according to the Doctor, but that didn't mean that she should be able to see what others couldn't. She was just a fourteen year old whovian who finally had all of her dreams come true. Nothing special about a geek living the dream, right? So why on earth was she seeing what was obviously supposed to only be seen by Vincent? It scared her. She knew what was going to happen yet she was thrown a curveball.

"Wait you can see him too?" Amy asked, surprise in her voice as her eyes widened. All this time it had only been Vincent that could see him. But now … this changed everything. Astrid could see this invisible alien, monster thing too? This was perfect! She didn't understand how the young girl could ever see the thing, but now that it was clear that she obviously could they had a way to keep the Doctor safe without getting Vincent Van Gogh killed. After all, the only reason she had stayed out here is so that Vincent wouldn't follow her, right? At least she hoped that was the Doctor's reasoning. But if Astrid could see it too, that meant they could help the Doctor. The Doctor would be safe and she wouldn't have to slap him over the head for doing something stupid and getting himself killed.

"Yes, I can see him. I don't know how, and if I'm being honest I'm really, really scared that I can." Astrid replied, a look of horror on her face as one tiny tear slid down her cheek. Sure, she wanted to travel with the Doctor. But she did not ask to have weird superpowers that made her see things that she shouldn't. She didn't ask to be special, she was perfectly fine with being an ordinary girl with an addiction to Doctor Who. She didn't know how she could see it but she knew one thing, she did not want to find out. They never mentioned why Vincent had been the only one to see it in the show, most people theorized many different reasons though, and not many of them were good. Some people, herself included thought that only people that were creative enough could see it. Hopefully that was the case, but she really didn't think it was considering she never was that creative, at least she never thought so.

Her thoughts were cut off when out of nowhere a loud crash of glass hitting the floor came from the not too far distance where the church sat. Something had happened, and with her here everything changes, the Doctor could be hurt. What she had seen on her television was false now that she was with them, everything she had seen could be wrong. Nothing was safe. Time wasn't safe. The Doctor wasn't safe, all because of her.


	9. Ch 9: Vincent and The Doctor Pt 2

"And that's my cue." Astrid said sprinting to the church where the Doctor awaited, Amy following close behind her. The Doctor wasn't hurt, that crash was just glass. Maybe she changed things, but not for the worst. She liked to think that perhaps she was changing it for the better. The Doctor would be fine, he was a grown man after all, her being here would not kill the timelord, more like it would kill her from trying to keep the timelord from doing something stupid. He may be a grown man but he was certainly not capable of thinking of smart ideas. Most of his plans had flaws, and most of those plans weren't even plans, just 'things' as he liked to call them. If one of his plans failed he needed a backup plan, but the poor man didn't take those into account when he was thinking. It was usually, figure out what's behind problem, run, sonic something, and then save the world. Well, now that she was here it was going to be a lot different. She had been close to death before and if something else weird changed because of her being here she needed a backup plan in case the Doctor's plan didn't work out. Well, she had one now and he was not going to like it.

"Sup, how ya doing?" She asked the Doctor, who had now ran straight up to them. She knew he wasn't doing well. She understood the Doctor and she understood him well. Right now he was probably thinking of a way out. A plan that involved lots of running and possibly some form of communication with the like a thing than a plan to be honest, but nevertheless it was something that could help them. She knew the Doctor's plan would fail anyways … so it didn't really matter. He had a sonic and a broken contraption that he had been using to see the Krafayis. So because she knew this, she had taken it upon herself to come up with a way to save the world herself. It was dangerous but simple really, she could see the alien and Amy and the Doctor couldn't. She would have to be their eyes … well, until Vincent ran in of course. It was dangerous because one false move could mean Amy or the Doctor's death, so she would have to be careful. Very careful. Where was that man anyways, he should have been here by now.

As if the universe had heard her, the Doctor came barreling towards her out of breath and frowning.

"Argh! I thought I told you. Never mind. We'll talk about it later. Quick, in here." The Doctor told them, quickly ushering them towards a confessional. He pushed Amy in one side, knowing that the ginge would be alright by herself and quickly stepped into the other side, Astrid in tow. He knew beforehand that Astrid would follow him into the church, and knowing Amy she would too. Astrid never stayed in one place too long, and telling her to stay put was a death wish. She was stubborn so asking her to leave was never an option. She was the impossible companion, the girl that can't be reasoned with. With her here the Krafayis was dead meat, she'd make him leave with a single word. What he hadn't know, however, is that he couldn't have been more right.

* * *

 **Doctor's POV**

 _It was a few minutes after that encounter that the whole thing had quickly gone to hell. Some would argue that it was because Amy and Astrid had been there that made it worst, some sort of karma for them not listening to him. But, he didn't believe in karma. Perhaps it was punishment for who he was, the universe telling him that it would be nice to throw what he had done back at him as he watched a poor, blind, invisible creature die afraid and alone. It hadn't been too bad at first, it was almost similar to any other Krafayis had heard Amy whispering and had decided to smash her side of the confessional. Then they had run for their lives like any other day. After that, however, it had quickly gone downhill. He had found out quite quickly after they had run from the monster, that not only did his sonic screwdriver not work on the alien, which meant that he would definitely not be using it for anything other than screwing in screws, but also that Astrid could see the Krafayis was the part that confused him. How could she see it? How was that possible? What made her and Vincent so different from him and Amy? He knew that Astrid was an extremely special girl, but that shouldn't change anything. What did a painter and a little girl have in common. Well, nothing except for the fact that the statement sounded something like a joke. Sure, Astrid had tons of power, and not just over him, she had knowledge beyond the stars, and being from a parallel world just strengthened that ability. She was strong intelligence wise, true, but sometimes that came with a price. She was young now, no knowledge about this world, other than foreknowledge from her universe. She shouldn't be able to see the alien, yet she could. She was an enigma. A nice enigma, and a really really cute one at that. Of course in all of the universe he fell in love with a mystery, that's just who he was. She was his mystery, the one thing he hadn't figured out, and he hoped he never did. She was an enigma inside of an enigma. He didn't understand her, and yet here she was making him more confused with her ability to things that she shouldn't. Then there's the fact that not long after he had figured that out, Vincent had killed a blind, scared beast. He hadn't tried to, but he had. They had won against the beast, and sometimes, just sometimes winning wasn't fun at all._

* * *

 **Amy's POV**

 _Today had been fairly normal day. It was like any other day traveling with the Doctor. It had been scary, fun, and overall, extremely upsetting, but that was life. After they had almost been killed by an alien, and her side of the confessional getting smashed, Astrid had told the Doctor about being able to see the thing too. I mean she didn't really understand why she could see things that they couldn't but she had an idea. She wasn't some genius like the Doctor, but she was still smart, she understood why Astrid was different than them. She was a pure human, yet she had qualities from beyond this earth. She was a kid, she was smart and creative with just that extra kick of human in her. The Doctor may be both really, really smart and creative, but he lacked the extra kick that humans had, and she was smart, and she had that extra kick, yet she wasn't creative. From her observations you had to have all three to be able to see the alien, and both Vincent and Astrid just happened to have it. After they had been chased by the monster the day had quickly gone from, Everything's alright and I'm still alive, to watching an invisible alien die and I'm really not okay. THE Vincent Van Gogh had killed a Krafayis. A blind, scared alien that was afraid. He had killed it on accident, stabbed an easel right into it and watched as it died right there and then. She felt bad for the poor man, having to kill a thing that you didn't even think existed. Vincent Van Gogh was a murder, what's new. Nothing seemed to surprise her anymore, not since she started traveling with her invisible friend in his larger on the inside spaceship. It was weird, she felt … empty now. Like she was forgetting something really important. What was she missing? She felt a sort of sadness, like she had lost someone really important to her, yet no matter how hard she tried to remember, she couldn't. It was like trying to reach for something that seemed so close yet wasn't. She felt like her heart was breaking, but nothing had happened to cause the feeling. She felt like she was in a dark tunnel and no light was reaching her, yet she was right here. What was wrong with her?_

* * *

Green emerald grass darkened in the night sky, dusk sweeping over the town in a daze. Three figures laid on the grass in the distance, grass tickling the back of their necks as they stared up at the night sky. Their hands linked together to form a circle, a circle of trust and friendship as stars shimmered in their eyes. To any passerby it would simply look like a group of people that wanted to star gaze, but the fact was that they weren't just star gazing. They were looking at the soul of the universe. They were looking at one of the most beautiful things in all of the world on any world in all of this universe.

"Hold my hand, Doctor. Try to see what I see. We are so lucky we are still alive to see this beautiful world. Look at the sky. It's not dark and black and without character. The black is in fact deep blue. And over there, lighter blue. And blowing through the blueness and the blackness, the wind swirling through the air and then, shining, burning, bursting through, the stars. Can you see how they roar their light? Everywhere we look, the complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes." Vincent told the others, trying to show them what he saw every time he looked at the stars. Humans seemed to pass off the stars like they were second nature, he rarely saw a human look up at the stars, and it appalled the man. Stars weren't just there to be ignored, stars were magical. You used stars to wish, to dream, and to hope. Stars were more human than anyone would ever know. When something bad happens we don't fall slowly and gently, gliding down like a dead leaf falling off of a tree, we fall down fast and burning, hurting ourselves on the way, like stars. He knew that better than anyone. There was beauty in this world, you just had to look deeper.

"You're right they are beautiful. I've seen many amazing things. But nothing quite as wonderful as the things you see." Amy said with awe in her tone, staring up at the sky as colors flew together and swirled into a blur. She could see it, she could see what Vincent could. After all of these years staring up at the sky and wishing on stars, searching the sky for her imaginary friend and his impossible box, she had not once saw the sky this way. The sky was a vast ocean, with little specks of hopes and dreams floating away within it. Yet, all along there was a beauty beyond any universe just waiting at her doorstep, no matter where she was, it was there just waiting to be seen. To actually be seen, to be seen without the cover over top of it. She had actually touched stars, and after all of that it was not until now that she had actually seen the beauty of the sky at night.

"I will miss you all terribly." Vincent told them, staring at the sky with tears glistening in his eyes. He hadn't had friends all his life, and now, when he had finally had some he was going to lose them. He knew that he had to let them go, but it still broke him, even after everything he had gone through. His friends were a gift to him, a gift from the stars. Something he had dreamed of for a long time now, and he would never see them again. His friends, the feisty ginger with the beautiful smile, the Doctor with the funny outfit, and the girl with the stars in their eyes that had appeared out of nowhere. His family.

* * *

"Amy, the blessed, the wonderful." Vincent said, hugging the wonderful woman that he had to know quite well. To be honest, he believed he had fallen in love with the kind ginger, in the short amount of time he had known her. She was so beautiful, with her hair as ginger as fire and her voice just the little piece of home that he always wanted. She was a picture to behold, a beauty worth a thousand words, a beauty that was too pretty to paint. If he even tried to paint her, he knew he would fail. She was the perfect mixture of beauty and brains, everything he had hoped for in a friend and most certainly everything he had ever wanted in a wife. She was wonderful, and so nice to him, he feared that after her departure he would never be able to truly live without her by his side. She was his blessed Amy.

"Be good to yourself, and be kind to yourself." Amy told Vincent, slowly letting the man go. She had just hugged Vincent Van Gogh! The Vincent Van Gogh! She knew what would happen in just a few months time to him, yet she was content in knowing that she had made a small, yet big difference in the man's life. She had made him happy. In all her years learning all about him in her history class, she had never heard that he had been happy in his life, he had never had a lover and he had certainly never fallen in love. But here she was, in front of him, knowing that all of that history was false. He had died happy, and he had been in love. He had been in love with her. So here she was sending him on his way with some advice for the next few months. Be good and be kind to yourself. He had to die, she knew she couldn't change that, no one was immortal after all, but she could change how she made him think about himself, and that is exactly what she had done.

"I'll try my best." Vincent replied to the woman, giving her a small peck on the cheek. To be honest he would do anything for this woman, anything she asked. In a small part within himself he knew he would never be with her, yet he was content with simply knowing her. She was the one thing to finally bring him happiness, happiness in the shape of a woman, and that was all he needed. She was the forbidden lover, the woman he could never have. He could see it in her eyes. She was already taken. Her lover was dead, he didn't know how or when but he did know that Amy's husband had died. And that was something he could never mess with, her heart was already somebody else's and she would not be able to love another. She was taken, and by all means he hoped that the lad was everything she had hoped for, all the happiness that she had given him, and more.

"And maybe give the beard a little trim before you next kiss someone." Amy replied, rubbing the spot where the itchy beard had touched her skin. Yes, she had just been kissed by Vincent Van Gogh, no big deal right? Actually no, huge deal. She was just kissed by her childhood artist. The one thing from history class, other than the Romans of course, that she had actually properly paid attention to. So why did she feel guilty? Why did she feel like kissing Vincent was wrong. It wasn't like she had a boyfriend, so why did she feel bad for doing it? It was just a silly kiss, wasn't it? Simply a peck on the cheek, so why was she so worried?

"I will, I will. And if you tire of this Doctor of yours, return, and we will have children by the dozen." Vincent told her proposing the idea with hope in his tone. He knew she belonged to somebody. A dead man that she dare not speak about, in fear of breaking down. But he had hope, hope that one day she would return, even if that possibility was slim. He always wanted a family, a family he could love, and be loved back. He knew he was being selfish, but he had always wanted that. Children he could teach to love others no matter what, and just to be happy again. Happy like he had never had the chance to be, normal when he had never been in the least bit normal, and he could have that with her. He could almost picture it, small little children with the reddest of hair and the biggest of smiles, her beauty and his talent. A small family that he had always wanted. A home.

"The lovely and very special Astrid, even though I have only known you for a short amount of time I feel as if I have a very strong connection to you. I know that you will turn out to be a very wonderful person." Vincent told the young girl, turning to her and giving her a hug as well. After finding out she could see it as well, he immediately knew she was something special. He understood her, she was just like him. Ignored and unloved, talented but nobody saw it. She had pain in her eyes a pain that not a lot of kids her age had. He could see it. Someday soon she was going to blossom, people were going to see her full worth. She was special.

"Thanks and all but I'm pretty insignificant when it comes to everyone else in the world." Astrid told the man, releasing from the hug, a small smile resting on her lips as a sign of gratitude. This was like River all over again. Her? Special? She was just the Doctor's companion, nothing special. If anything she was just somebody who had accidentally dropped in unannounced, she wasn't an actual character in the development, just a little something extra. What's more, she was a kid, barely even starting her life. Nobody would listen to her at her age, how would she do anything important, or special in this world? No, she wasn't special, and it would be a long, long time before she even came close to important. So why did everyone think she was?

"Well you may think that, but one day you will become a very important person. After all great things are done by a series of small things brought together. You don't need to do something big to be important, the small stuff counts too." Vincent replied, staring into the young lady's eyes. He could see vast knowledge. Knowledge beyond the stars. An unusual sparkle in her eye as if the sky itself had woven its way into her orbs of hazel to form her eyes. She was important, more important than any human on this world or any other. Right now she was young, she didn't believe in herself, she didn't believe she could be anything other than a kid. But soon, through all the little things she does to create who she is in the future, she will become one of the most important women in history. He could see it in her, the way her eyes glowed and sparkled. As if whenever you looked into them you looked right into her very soul. Knowledge deeply woven into her very smile as if she had seen the beginning of the universe itself, and knowing her maybe she had. The little girl who had flashed out of nowhere surrounded by blinding white in the dark of night. The goddess of the stars themselves. She was special, and soon she would see just how important in this world she really was.

"Now then my friends. We have fought monsters together and we have won. On my own, I fear I may not do as well." Vincent said, looking at all three people in turn. The brains, the beauty, and the eccentric idiot. His friends. With them gone he would never feel the same happiness he felt right now. He wouldn't smile or laugh, he would go on living, painting and painting and painting while people mocked his talent. He would be alone. Nobody to talk to while his madness worsened, nobody to hold his hand and lead him through the dark times. All alone with no one to turn to. His friends were leaving him and he would never see them again.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" The Doctor asked Astrid and Amy, an idea taken full flight in his brain. The adventure was done but his brain had other plans. He could plainly see that Vincent was upset, and being the man he was he had the automatic need to help the man. Vincent was one of his friends now, a good friend, a friend that he had a lot in common with. He was a hurt man, a hurt man that he knew from history would kill himself in just a couple of months from depression. And he knew with everything he had that if he only had a limited time to live he would want to make it worth it, so by god he was going to make it worth it for him. He was going to make today special for the man, so, so special.

* * *

"I was thinking I may need some food or something before we leave." Amy replied, as she gazed out into the landscape. She was starving, the last decent meal she had had was ages ago. She wanted food, more likely she needed some bloody food now or a certain raggedy man was going to see what happened when she got angry, and that was never a good idea. Plus, Astrid had just come from wherever she had been bleeding out, no doubt she would want some food too. So the question was, where do you get some food in a place like this?

"Well, no, you're not thinking exactly what I'm thinking." The Doctor said, wrinkling up his eyebrows in total wonderment. How Amy could be thinking about food at a time like this was beyond him. We had just met the Vincent Van Gogh. The man who was depressed and about to kill himself in less than a year. A man that his hearts yearned to save from death, but he knew he couldn't. He had promised he was going to make this man's last few months happy and that is exactly what he was going to do. His plan was going to be put into action, well … not a plan, more like a thing.

"I was thinking we do a little something special for Vincent. Perhaps take him on a little trip." Astrid spoke up, causing the Doctor to smile. She knew this episode well, she always loved it because of how happy they made Vincent in the end, and she knew with all of her heart and with everything she had that she would not cease to make the sweet man happy, even if just for a moment in time. Vincent deserved at least that in his weary, depressing life.

"Now you're thinking what I'm thinking. Vincent! I've got something I'd like to show you. Maybe just tidy yourself up a bit first." The Doctor called up to the man, a huge smile on his face as he awaited to show the man what the future held for him. He knew that he couldn't change his suicide, no matter how much he wanted to, but he could do one thing. He could make him remember this one moment. The moment when he was happy. The moment he had friends. No matter how hard the depression gets for him this year, he could go back to this moment and remember them.

* * *

They walked the few steps away to where the Tardis sat on a hill, the sun rising behind it and giving it an orangy yellow glow as if it was shimmering. It sat there overlooking the village, advertising posters covering it up as it was a giant box made out of paper mache. They approached, The Doctor happy to be back to his Tardis, Amy and Astrid giddy to be showing Vincent what happens in his future, and a very confused Vincent staring at the box with surprise in his eyes, wondering what could they ever possibly be doing with a box of paper.

"Now, you know we've had quite a few chats about the possibility there might be more to life than normal people imagine? Well … brace yourself Vinny." The Doctor announced, showing the man the inside of his magnificent machine. He watched amused as Vincent blinked a few times taking in the beauty of his Tardis. And finally he started laughing, watching as Vincent ran outside and circled the box, finally walking back in, to then stare at the doctor in total and utter confusion.

"How come I'm the crazy one, and you three have stayed sane?" Vincent replied with total was no way they could have stayed normal, they had to be mad! These people, his friends, was bigger on the outside than it was on the interior! How was that even physically possible?! A box that was so plain and simple on the outside, yet so magnificent and beautiful on the inside. Who were these people.?

"Who said we were sane?" Astrid replied, a small smirk sitting on her lips as she watched Vincent look around the Tardis. Nobody who left with an alien with two hearts should ever be sane. The only sane person to ever travel with the Doctor was Rory, and lord knows when he would be back again. They were traveling in a sentient box that happened to be a girl, with an alien that went around picking up hot girls to travel with, how was that even close to normal? No, she wasn't sane, and the Doctor was so far away from sane it was hilarious.

"What do these things all do?" Vincent asked the Doctor staring wide eyed at the controls. It was complex, and beautiful all at the same time, if he wasn't so busy trying not to freak out and run away it probably would have made a wonderful painting. All the levers and switches varying from color to color and the whole room giving off a very warm aura. It was the picture of happiness, a perfect way to remember his friends. They weren't so different from him after all, they all understood him, every single one of them were mad. Complex room with complex buttons, perfect for any insane man.

"Oh, a huge variety of things. This one here, for instance, plays soothing music. While this one makes a huge amount of noise. And this one makes everything go absolutely tonto." The Doctor said, pulling a lever that would set the Tardis into automatic pilot. This was his favorite part after all, and he was not going to miss it for the world, or well any kind of world … oh just forget the world. He was going to make his new friend happy, and that started with answering any and all questions that Vincent could come up with.

"And what does this one do?" Vincent asked, pointing excitedly at two red and yellow levers next to Astrid. This was amazing, all these new words, and cool phrases … even if it did sound like he was making half of it up. This place was so fantastic! It was even more than words can describe! It was a new concept for him, his friends were aliens of some kind, some kind of foreigners, maybe from the future, or something just as amazing.

"That's ketchup. And that one's mustard. I've been trying to make him put a barbeque one in but he claims it's too american." Astrid said with a frown, glaring at the Doctor with a harsh glare. The Doctor childishly sticking his tongue out at the girl. It's not her fault that she grew up american, she just wanted a little taste of home, is that too much to ask! Too american! Sure, it was. To be honest, he wasn't even british so why did it matter to him whether or not it was american or british. Oh, she'd show him just what too american was. The nerve of him.

"Mmm, nice. Come on, back to the cafe and you can tell me about all the wonders of the universe." Vincent told them, finally getting over the shock of finding such a beautiful place. He hoped quite honestly that they would take him up on his offer. He didn't want them to leave just yet. Not after they had show him something so amazing. He wanted a nice, long talk with them, and perhaps a nice breakfast as they talked about the amazing thing they had shown him.

"Good idea. Although, actually, there's a little something I'd like to show you first." The Doctor explained, stepping out and the others following him. He knew Vincent, and he knew the invitation had been in fear. Fear that they would leave so soon, and fear that he would be alone and miserable for the rest of his life. What he didn't know however, was that after seeing what they would show him he wouldn't need them around any longer. He would have fond memories of the future and that was all Vincent could ever want. Assurance that all his hard work had paid off, and his painting wasn't for nothing.

* * *

"Where are we?" Vincent asked in confusion staring intently at his surroundings. Everything was new to him, everything looked strange. All of these odd shapes and colors, and nothing the way he thought it would be. Was this the future? But that meant that his friends were time travelers. People that could travel to so many different places. It was mind blowing. This place was amazing! If this was the future he certainly wanted to live here! Different smells and different sights, so different from his little town.

"Paris, 2010 AD. And this is the mighty Museé D'Orsay. Home to many of the greatest paintings in history." The Doctor proclaimed, looking at Vincent with glee. He was showing Vincent who he would become, how successful he really was. But most of all he was showing him that all the bad things that were happening to him now, would someday add up to something quite amazing in the future. Hard work paid off and that was exactly what he was going to teach Vincent. He lead Vincent through the crowd weaving through all the people, until they finally got to the right place. The Vincent Van Gogh gallery.

"Doctor Black, we met a few days ago. I asked you about the church at Auvers." The Doctor said quite nicely to the man, reminding him who he was with a smirk on his face. He had a plan now, a thing that had turned into a plan, a way to make Vincent happy. Not only was he going to show Vincent how much his hard work had paid off, he was going to get some evidence. Evidence that he wasn't just an ill mad man. Evidence that he was so much more important then he thought, and maybe just maybe he would be happiest man alive for a few hours. It was not enough to cure him, no, and it was definitely not enough to make him happy enough to not kill himself. But he was going to make this trip worth it, not only for Vincent but himself too.

"Oh, yes. Glad to be of help. You were nice about my tie." Dr. Black replied, fixing his tie of the day, glad to have been helpful to the kind man.

"Yes. And today is another cracker if I may say so. But I just wondered, between you and me, in a hundred words, where do you think Van Gogh rates in the history of art?" The Doctor asked with a very excited tone. This was it, this was the prove. A man like who did this sort of thing for a living had to have something kind to say about the man. It was inevitable, he wouldn't have the job otherwise. This was where everything changed for the man.

"Well, big question, but to me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most popular great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of colour, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world. No one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind, that strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived." Black said, with so much passion. Studying Vincent Van Gogh had been his life after all. He watched carefully as a strange man that looked strangely like the painter, bursted into tears, wet droplets falling down his face.

"Vincent. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Is it too much?" The Doctor asked the man, pulling him in for a hug and letting the overwhelmed man cry his eyes out. Out of every outcome that his brain could have possibly thought of, this was definitely not one of them. He hadn't made Vincent's life better, he had overwhelmed him, even went as far as making him cry. He was a failure. Not only did the Doctor break everything he touched, but he also hurt everyone he came into contact with. This was all his fault, if anything he was probably the reason Vincent had killed himself. It was all his fault, why couldn't he do anything right?

"No. They are tears of joy. Thank you, sir. Thank you." He said in gratitude, breaking away from the Doctor and kissing on both cheecks, hugging the man for his kind words. This meeting had given him hope, hope that one day this will be his future … millions of paintings and so many people to admire them. He had hope that one day they would be loved and that all his hardwork would pay off in the end. But most of all he had hope that one day, somehow he would get the appreciation that he had always wanted. He had hope for a better tomorrow.

"You're welcome. You're welcome." Black told the strange man in confusion, walking away from the strange group and continuing his interrupted tour group.

"This changes everything. I'll step out tomorrow with my easel on my back a different man. I still can't believe that one of the haystacks was in the museum. How embarrassing." Vincent said with a small laugh, stepping into the blue box that was bigger on the inside than the outside. His friends had shown him an amazing future. He was going to paint and paint and paint now knowing that all of it wasn't for nothing. He would ignore the villiage people, he wasn't just a worthless man with a hobby, he was an artist. He was a painter, and he wouldn't had figured that out if it wasn't for The Doctor, Amy, Astrid, and there amazing time traveling capabilities.

* * *

"It's been a great adventure and a great honour." The Doctor told Vincent, a small smile on his lips as he stared at the great painter. There was no doubt that this had been one gigantic adventure, running and aliens involved, however, it had also been a new meeting for him. He had met a great person who seemed so much like him that it was scary. It had been fun, and it was something that he would never quite forget. Vincent was a wonderful person, a person that was worth so much. A person that should not die the way he had, by the hands of himself.

"You've turned out to be the first doctor ever actually to make a difference to my life." Vincent replied with gratitude, hugging the man that had become one of his greatest friends. He knew that the Doctor was a man of many mistakes. A man who had faced so many losses and so much depression that he had turned out just like Vincent. He could see it in his eyes. Regret. It was plain as day to a man who had suffered the same fate. So many friends lost and so many mistakes made to form the man he was today. This was what he needed to be cured, not some fancy Doctor who thought he was simply mad, no he needed a friend, a friend who understood what he was going through. A friend who suffered the same as him. The Doctor had been that friend. The Doctor who had made a difference.

"I'm delighted. I won't ever forget you." The Doctor said, looking at Vincent with a gleam in his eye. It was true, no matter how long he lived, and no matter where he went whether it be the past or the future or even another planet, he would never forget Vincent, not ever. Honestly, he never forgot, everything that had ever happened and every person he had ever met was stored in his big brain. That was the curse of the timelords. He never forgot, even if if he wanted to. No matter how long and how far he traveled the memory of Vincent and what had happened today was sealed into his brain forever more.

"And you are sure marriage is out of the question?" Vincent asked Amy. The amazing ginger haired goddess that he had wanted with all his heart to stay with him. She was the one person who would give him hope, just her smile lit up the world around him. She was his night light. The sun to guide him out of the dark where all the monsters lay and into the bright light of the world, she helped guide him away from his depression. She guided him away from himself. He wanted to marry the beauty, capture her before it was too late. Yet he knew that it was already too late.

"This time. I'm not really the marrying kind. Come on. Let's go back to the gallery right now." Amy said, turning towards the Doctor. She wanted to get to the art gallery right away. She wanted to see if she had rewritten time. There was probably millions of new paintings covering the walls! They had made Vincent happy and that happiness was going to wipe his depression off the map. He wouldn't kill himself! He would live a long healthy life, and paint, and paint, and paint. She grabbed The Doctor's hand in hers and grabbed Astrid's hand with her other hand, quickly leading them back towards the Tardis, eager to see the walls covered in new paintings.

"Astrid." Vincent announced, pausing the trio in their tracks. Astrid turned around a broke her hand from Amy, quickly walking back towards Vincent, surprise in her features. Why would Vincent want to talk to her, her … the one person who had no significance in their tiny group.

"Your eyes hold knowledge, yet you seem ignorant of it. The knowledge you hold will be revealed soon, and I'm so sorry, but with it will come great heartbreak." Vincent told the girl with a very upset frown. He could see it the sadness and regret in her eyes. Yet she was so very happy. She was anything but upset, which could only mean one thing, something would happen in her future to make her upset, and from the looks of it it was making her frightened.

* * *

"Time can be re-written. I know it can. Come on! Oh, the long life of Vincent Van Gogh. There'll be hundreds of new paintings." Amy exclaimed, a huge smile on her face as she ran throughout the building trying to locate the Van Gogh exhibit. She had to have changed time, she just had to. She had made Vincent Van Gogh happy, even went as far as showing him what the future held for him. They had show him that his art would be appreciated one day, even more than that, they had given him hope. Hope was the most powerful emotion of all, which lead to the fact that there wasn't a doubt in her mind that there had to be tons of new paintings. Vincent couldn't have killed himself after seeing all that he had seen from his future. He had to have lived a long healthy life. There was probably dozens upon dozens of new paintings hanging up in the gallery.

"I'm not sure there will." The Doctor said in doubt. He knew that Vincent was a fragile man, and he knew that showing him his future had done very little to alter his timeline. It was the whole reason he had shown Vincent in the first place, since he knew it would do no harm. Giving Vincent hope had done nothing for the man, it didn't change the fact that he had killed himself. All it had done was make him happy for the short amount of time he had seen it. The key was happiness did nothing to a man that was depressed, nothing except distract the man from the pain of loss. He knew that better than anyone.

"Rewriting time is very very complicated. It's really delicate and needs to be handled with care." Astrid added, throwing in her two cents with a frown. Time was hard to rewrite, nearly impossible in fact, and she knew that it had several repercussions. She knew this form the several other times it had happened before. Time was not easy to rewrite, especially something as big as a death, if you weren't careful there were consequences. She knew this episode and she knew that time was certainly not rewritten. Not matter how happy they had made Vincent, it had obviously not been enough to change time.

* * *

"We have here the last work of Vincent Van Gogh, who committed suicide at only thirty seven. He is now acknowledged to be one of the foremost artists of all time. If you follow me now." The voice of carried on, twisting off the walls as The Doctor and Astrid ran in after a very frantic Amy. They walked carefully around the room, watching as Amy ran from painting to painting to try and find if they made a difference. What she had failed to notice however while she ran around frantic, was the Doctor staring intently at a painting right in front of him.

"Is that? Maybe we did make a difference." The Doctor spoke up, freezing Amy in her tracks, just a few feet away from them. She sprinted over staring intently at the picture, looking at the swirl of color. They had rewritten time, it was a whole new painting, a whole new painting that looked really familiar, a painting of a person. They had changed history, however slight, Amy had still been right. They had made Vincent happy.

"There's another painting." Amy said breathless, staring intently at the new picture that looked so different yet so familiar. She had done it, she had changed history. Not as much as she had hoped, but she had still done it. It was a shame he still killed himself no matter how much she hoped that she had changed history enough to save him. But look what her being there had done. She had done so much to help that man, and now look at what had resulted. Another picture by his brilliant mind.

"Yeah … and it looks … No! It can't be!" The Doctor paused staring at the picture. The picture was a painting of a girl, her ginger orangish red hair glowing in the dark of night, cascading in waves around her back like fire. The painting perfectly showing her hazel eyes glowing in the moonlight, as tiny little pink flecks sparkled in her irises. Her pale pink lips turned up into a mad man smile and her stature short. It looked like any old person, but what really stood out was the tiny little sparkle of stars in her eyes that made her look as if she had knowledge beyond her years. He knew that face anywhere, it just had to be her.

"Is that me?!" Astrid asked in total wonderment, amazed at the beautiful picture. That beautiful young lady in that picture was her? Really? She looked so pretty, and she was not pretty, she was plain and average. Nothing more. Did she really look like that?

"I don't know when he painted it, but yes, yes it is you." The Doctor said, surprise lacing his voice as he stared at the painting with wide eyes. The new painting was of Astrid. His Astrid. It showed off every one of her beautiful features and made her even more beautiful in his eyes. The picture perfected her lips, just showing off her beautiful smile and her eyes shined with the light, as if the exact moment he had painted her the moon had been glinting off of her and making her shine. She was so beautiful and he was glad that out of anything the new painting could have been it had been of her. He watched her know out of the corner of her eyes, watching as she sighed, looking at the painting with tears in her pretty little hazel eyes.

"According to the brochure, it was painted on June third." Amy said, looking intently at the miniaturized picture of the painting with the date next to it. She knew when he had painted he she just knew. He had painted it while they were waiting for the Doctor. Vincent saw the beauty in Astrid, the girl who had materialized out of nowhere and had decided to paint her while he waited. He had painted her friend, and that was perhaps, one of the best things that he could have ever decided to paint.

"Amy, what's it called?"Astrid asked in a small whisper as a small tear made it's way down her cheek. Vincent had painted her, not only that he had made her beautiful. Vincent, one of her favorite painters of all time had painted her. His final painting, was of a girl who shouldn't even be here. A girl who understood Vincent so well. Her.

"It's called, Beauty of the Stars." Amy replied in the same tone, looking intently at the painting as if it was a gift from a god, when in a way, perhaps it was. Beauty of the stars. A beautiful little girl with stars in her eyes that would grow up to become the Doctor's lover, and one of the most important people ever. Her friend Astrid. She looked around the museum taking in the sunflower painting that was hung right next to Astrid's, and there on the vase was a note. A note to her. For Amy, Vincent. And she knew she knew then and there, not only would her kids have had hair as bright as a sunflower if she had stayed, but also the fact that these two paintings were hanging side by side was fate. Vincent was taking care of her and Astrid even from the grave, because he cared about them. Both in different ways, but yet he still cared. His girls. That's who they were. Not Amy and Astrid, no, they were powerful. They were the girl with the sunflowers, and the girl with the stars. The girls who made Vincent Van Gogh happy. The girls who changed the world.


	10. Ch 10: Perfect Life

**watch?v=nSLSkRP6X3U**

Hi, This is the link to Astrid Character theme. I chose the song because it really describes who she was as a kid in her universe. It is Paradise by Coldplay. Please check it out!

* * *

 **Astrid's POV**

 _Life. Millions of tiny little humans rushing around trying to find out who they are. That's what life is. Before I ended up here I was just like any other human. I wasn't normal though, I didn't think about where I was going to go after school, I didn't worry about growing up. I went through the motions trying to find a meaning in my life. Because the truth was, I never really was going to grow up. I thought about why I existed. For me, all that time spent on earth I thought. For me time was a blur as I sat down in my room, thinking about things that normal humans would never care about in thousands of years. For a normal teen on earth they spent their time going to school, hanging out with friends, and dating. For me though, I did all of that, but I spent the time daydreaming. Daydreaming about a new reality, a different reality, and trying to escape mine. I wasn't the popular girl with tons of friends. I was the geek, the total outcast. The person who only had enough friends to count on one hand. I rarely talked in school, my notebook was covered in poorly drawn Doctor Who doodles and I was mocked and bullied for acting obsessed with the show. I had a family, a loving family. I had three younger sisters, Ruby, Fiona, and Elise, and a caring mother that loved me dearly. My sisters would tease me calling me weird and telling me that I needed to grow up and act normal for a change. Maybe they were right, but I never listened. The one thing I had ever done to act normal was crush on guys._

* * *

 _I don't remember a day when I hadn't had a crush on one boy or another. I had been rejected by so many boys it had broken my heart over the years. But I kept going, because a boy is not worth it if he doesn't like you for you. The funny thing was, not one boy I had ever encountered had ever been a nice boy. It was always the pricks and the total idiots. The one's who made fun of people just because they wanted to fit in with their group. See, I had found the secret to humanity. No one acts like who they really are around others. No one is who they say they are. The only time they act like themselves is when they are alone. Boys were their own sort of complicated. They were always into the popular girls. The giddy cheerleaders and the ditzy blondes who laugh at anything. But they didn't actually like the girls for who they are, no they liked them because they were high on the social ladder, and because they were the most likely to get undressed for the guy. I felt bad for those girls. They weren't actually as bad as most people made them out to be. They just made wrong choices. They started dating the idiots that only wanted to get in their pants, the boys who didn't appreciate them. If those idiots had tried dating me the only thing they would be getting was a punch in the face. They don't see girls as girls they see girls as sex toys. I don't want that. I never wanted that._

 _I want to be liked for my intelligence and attitude, I want to be liked for who I am. I want a boy that is a gentleman. A man that can act like a boy at heart. I want a man that will kiss me like the world is ending. A man that looks at me like I'm the only girl in the world. A man that will respect me. Someone who will protect me even when I don't need protecting, and treat me like a queen. I want romance and adventure. Someone who can balance both seriousness and fun at the same time. Someone that is kind, someone who will give me my space when I ask. I want someone who will love me to the beginning of the universe and back again. I've looked everywhere for my fairytale man, but just like every other dream, he isn't real. Where do you find a man like that? Where do you find a man that will treat you like your on the top of the world? Where do all the good boys go? I need a man that is strong emotionally, but weak physically. I don't want to date some pig who just likes me because of my body. I need a good boy. A good boy to compliment me. I've looked everywhere for a man like that. I've tried dating strangers, and boys at school but all of them are the same. I want someone who will do anything for me. Someone who will run to me when we fight and take all the hurt away. Someone who will save me if anything happens. Someone who will be my hero. Yet, I don't know where to find a guy like that. I just lived life to the fullest, always interested in guys and never liked back, never even having the first kiss I had always dreamed of._

* * *

 _Ah, The Doctor. The Doctor was a guy she liked. He was the perfect example of her fairytale guy. The amazing thing being that he was a guy she had loved for so long before she had arrived here. She loved him. She new that sounded crappy, and like she was some love driven girly cliche. But she wasn't. She knew she would never be loved back, not by the Doctor at least, at especially at her age. The Doctor didn't love, not when he loved so many and so much. He could never love somebody on that level. He didn't, he couldn't because if he did his heart would only break. The fact was, he was the only Timelord. He aged slower, and he never died, he regenerated. Everyone he could ever loved would die before he did. Even she would die someday, especially with the life she lead now. The Doctor could never be with anyone, he was cursed to be forever alone. No one except River ever came close to being the person he loved. She never knew, because the show never showed her just how long they were together. She couldn't love the Doctor, and she wouldn't. She promised herself a long time ago that she wouldn't end up like Martha. She would not be hopelessly in love, knowing that she would never be loved back. This had to change. She had to stop loving the Doctor. But how? How do you stop loving somebody that you've loved for so long? The answer was simple, you can't. So she was going to have to do this the hard way, ignore it. Bury it in her mind and do other things to pass the time. She needed to get out. She needed to stop pinning over a man who would never see her that way._

* * *

 _All my life I had thought I had nothing to live for. That I was all alone. I didn't think that I had a place to call home, when all along I had a wonderful family that loved me so much. I always dreamed that at night when I closed my eyes, I would wake up in the Doctor's Tardis. That he would take me on adventures, and I would never be lonely again. I would after all be the Doctor's companion, always hanging out with the Doctor and traveling to different places, and of course, running from different aliens that tried to kill us. I always wished to go away from my reality. Away from any reality, to be free from all pain. Together we would fly away in a small blue box that was bigger on the inside, flying towards a beautiful new day. Soaring away from the town that never cared about me. I'm here now, and I realize now that I can't ever get back that I did have people that cared about me. I had a few close friends and a family that cared and now I'll never get to see them again. I may have a weird dysfunctional family here that loves me, but I had one back home, and I regret not realising it sooner. I'm the Doctor's companion now, no way back home. I may hang out with the Doctor and go on cool, exciting adventures, running from killer aliens. But I should not have run away from my reality. I was free in my universe just as much as I am here. Amy, Rory, and the Doctor may be my perfect life. I may love the adventures on the Tardis as a companion at last. But I miss home. I miss spending time with my family. My life as Astrid Salisbury is long over. I am Astrid Selene. I'm reborn and I am the Doctor's companion. I need to leave the past behind me. I'm finally in the Tardis, the one thing I've always dreamed of. I get to hang out with Rory and Amy. I'm finally in the Doctor's world at last. The one person I've always loved. My hero, the Doctor. I'm not on earth trying to find out who I am anymore, I know who I am. I am Astrid Selene and I am free._


	11. Ch 11: The Lodger Pt 1

A great big wheezing sound shook off the tiny town, breezing over buildings and resounding off of cars passing by. The sound of hope, and love, and adventure shouting out to all that would listen. Help from the universe itself. A blue box materializing as if from nowhere, the sign clearly reading Police Box. The man of peace and the magnet of trouble, the Doctor stepping out the door with a young ginger haired girl. They looked around, the young girl's smile just widening even more when she realizes her surroundings.

"No, Amy, it's definitely not the fifth moon of Cindie Colesta. I think I can see a Ryman's." The Doctor said in confusion, shouting to Amy who was still inside the Tardis. No, not the fifth moon that was for sure, there wasn't any crystal glass. Cindie Colesta had been famous for her crystal glass and it was said that the fifth moon was completely constructed with the stuff. This place just looked … normal. Earth normal.

"Yup, this is definitely not an alien planet. But I do know what planet it is." Astrid replied to the Doctor, her eyes glowing a dull pink color. This was the place that the Doctor meets Craig, in her opinion, one of the funniest characters to ever be on the show. Alright, she needed to stop calling it a show … this was real life. Serious, boring old life. Craig wasn't just some character that she knew everything about, he was a real life person. One of the funniest people on this planet, hands down, but still a living human guy.

Her thoughts were cut off when all of a sudden something exploded from behind her, sending the Doctor and herself flying to the floor. The Tardis de-materialized slowly as debris from the explosion were sent right and left of her body. The grass slowly burning as the scent of the fire burned her nose, and the ash covered her face as it slowly rained down like leaves after summer. Her stomach ached from the sudden impact, and her left arm burned from where she had lightly burned it from the grass that was just barely on fire. She laid there in pain, knowing she had been in far worse agony, listening to the Doctor's cries for Amy. Her own voice mixing in with moans from the pain, as her eyes shut tightly willing for it to stop. She wasn't dying, she was merely burned and out of air, the lack of clean oxygen making it worse on her lungs as she tried to breathe. But her lungs burned. There was no doubt that she was hurt, and if she didn't get into some clean air soon she was in trouble. Her body got weaker as time passed by, second after second and minute after minute. Her brain slowly shut down and she slowly started sinking into unconsciousness. The only thing she registered was the Doctor picking her up and the calming sound of both of his hearts beating in his chest as he carried her.

* * *

 **Astrid's POV**

 _Here I am close to death yet again. You know for being a friend of the Doctor aka the one man who doesn't die, I seem to be really good at getting into these life or death situations. It's like everywhere I turn I end up getting extremely hurt! Why do I always get myself in these kinds of situations? If I keep this up I could put everyone I care about in this universe in danger. I could hurt them, not only physically but emotionally too. With the sort of life I lead now we are in danger all the time, a sort of life where one minute spent unconscious could mean the death of all humanity. Last time I had been close to death like this I was in pain. My stomach had been cut open and my body had bled out to the point where I couldn't even move, let alone speak, without crying out in total agony. Every breath I took I feared was my last, yet I never regretted my decision that had lead me to dying. I had saved Amy. After being afraid of doing anything that might jeopardize the chain of events, I had finally changed something. I had made something better than it had originally been. And not only that, I had saved one of my friends from going through all the pain and suffering I had gone through in her place. I knew that me being here would change the events in some way, shape, or form … it was inevitable. But using my knowledge to save one of the Doctor's most cherished friends … there were just no words to describe just how amazing that feeling was. I feel like I have a place here … that maybe I do in fact fit in. I'm not just some shy little fangirl that shouldn't even be apart of these events. Maybe the universe placed me here for one specific reason, to save people. That horrid day when I had been cut open only to think I was going to die had changed me. surprisingly, I had not have died that day, and now I was serving the consequences for what I had done, my stomach and chest still sore and wrapped up from the terrifying feat. And not dying that day makes me wonder … what if the universe doesn't want me to die just yet? Maybe there's a something bigger that I'm needed for … a plan that isn't quite complete without me. Maybe just maybe I won't die today or even tomorrow … not even months from now. Even if that wasn't true I would make it true, because believe it or not I'm not going to die without a fight. My life may be dangerous with the Doctor in my life, and I may see myself in several life or death situations in the near future, but you know what … life without the Doctor isn't life at all. I want to live not just survive … I don't just want to scrape my way through my own life, I want to live my life to the fullest, living as if every day is my last. I knew that saving Amy would have had consequences, when does anything not have a consequence. But when I had laid there on the cold dirt covered floor I knew one thing, it was worth it. Saving Amy was worth my life, and I didn't care if I had to die to save her. The universe wanted me here for a reason and I'm going to make sure that the universe knows that it did not make a mistake when it brought me here. Right here right now I make a promise, no matter what happens today or tomorrow or even next year I promise to use my knowledge to save others that are in danger … even if that means my own death. These people, these kind, brilliant, fantastic people are worth so much to the Doctor. His companions are his family and they are important to him. I love that man with everything I have, and seeing him upset would break me. I promise with all my heart that no matter what happens that I will protect his companions with my life for as long as I live … he deserves at least that. I'm not here as the shy little girl with no more home and no more family, I'm here as Astrid Selene, the protector, the saver of lives. I'm a legend and it's time that my prophecy unfolds._

 _My friends will survive, and Death will not touch me._

* * *

It was a good hour later and not only was she up and walking around by herself but she also felt renewed and refreshed. She felt as though her body was … different, her lungs and heart felt newer and she didn't feel any of the dulling pain she had felt before from the explosion. She didn't know how it had happened, one moment she had been unconscious, barely being able to breathe as she tried her best to keep her heart pumping, the next she was standing on her own two feet feeling as normal as ever, the Doctor staring at her as if she were a goddess of some sort. Not even the Doctor could figure her out, and if he couldn't figure her out no one could. After she had gotten mysteriously better, causing her to wonder if something was perhaps wrong with her, they had begun walking around the town looking for the address that Amy had written down for them and posted to a shop window, and now here they were … still trying to find the same place. The reason it was taking so long was because the Doctor had not only gotten lost … twice, but he had also lost the paper, which made them retrace their steps to find the missing paper. Finally, after getting tired of getting lost, Astrid had taken the paper in anger and frustration, leading them straight to where they were now … Craig's house.

"I love you." Craig said, throwing open the door. Instead of finding Sophie on the doorstep, waiting for her keys, he found a weirdly dressed man and a girl that looked to be in her teens standing there with smiles on their faces. Why were they here? Who were they? And most importantly, did he just say that he loved two total strangers? How embarrassing.

"Well, that's good, because we're your new lodgers. Do you know, this is going to be easier than I expected." The Doctor said in happiness, swiping the fluffy pink keys from Craig. He then turned to Astrid, holding his hand out to her as if expecting something from her. She rolled her eyes, and grabbed a Bluetooth device out of her pocket, begrudgingly setting it into his palm. To be honest she didn't even expect the man to even notice that she had taken the device from him. It wasn't that the Doctor wasn't smart … no the man was a genius, but when it came to certain things he wasn't the most attentive of people. She just hoped that maybe, just maybe she would be able to take the Bluetooth device and use it herself without the Doctor noticing.

"But I only put the advert up today. I didn't put my address." Craig said in amazement, staring at the strange pair. How was it even possible that they had found him? Did the strange woman in the shop with the purple dress and the Scottish accent give out his address? But then if that were true, how would the woman know herself where he lived? It was true that he wanted a roommate but not the day that he asked for one! This was too soon, and these two people were too strange.

"Well, aren't you lucky I came along? More lucky than you know. Less of a young professional, more of an ancient amateur, but frankly I'm an absolute dream." The Doctor replied to the confused man. Sure, he wasn't some professional like UNIT, but he still had a skill set and a plan … well more like he was coming up with a plan. Right now he just an idea … an idea that would form into a plan as he figured more things out. All he knew at the moment was that Amy was in trouble and he had to fix it, so step one would be finding out what this house had to do with any of what was going on.

"Or so you think you're a dream." Astrid said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. For a man that saves people he sure had a large ego. Alright, yeah, he had nice hair and an awesome accent that she would kill to have, but that didn't make him a 'dream'. And since when was he an amatuer? He was the most professional person she had ever known … well … not really, he acted more like an excitable child than a 900+ alien, but he was the best person in the world when it came to rescuing civilizations. If anyone was going to be saving Amy today it would be him.

"Hang on a minute, mate. I don't know if I want you lot staying. And give me back those keys. You can't have those." Craig told them, grabbing back the precious keys. Those were Sofie's keys, the pretty … no, beautiful woman that he shared the apartment with. The dirty blonde haired angel that had agreed to become his friend … HIS friend! She was everything to him, and there was no way that he would just give away her keys like that to some … weirdo. Not in a million years. Not ever!

"Yes, quite right. Have some rent." The Doctor replied, handing the man a light brown paper bag with some money in it. Giving the man money was a foolish idea. Why would humans ever need money? It wasn't like money was important, it was just bits of metal and paper all decorated to look fancy, what's so special about that? That's what always confused him, humans were such a wonderful race, but why did their greed always get in the way of their lives?

"That's probably quite a lot, isn't it? Looks like a lot. Is it a lot? I can never tell." The Doctor told the man at the door. He wasn't human, and so he didn't really understand how much was too much money. To him it was just paper dyed a different color. Besides if it was too much, what's the big deal! It just meant that whoever this man was would get a few extra dollars to spend on something. The Doctor didn't need the money himself, so it was a win win situation. Besides, it's not like anyone really told him it was too much, so who cared how much money he gave away.

"I told you it was too much myself, but you just ignored me!" Astrid retaliated, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. The first thing she had said when he had shown her the bag of money was that it was too much, but did the man listen to her … nope! It was all the same with men, in one ear and out the other. Guys were idiots, it was plain and simple. Why in the name of all that's holy would the Doctor give a human person all that money, it's just insane! If Astrid knew anything, it was that guys needed some serious listening skills, the Doctor included. Astrid suddenly stopped, her thoughts long forgotten as she watched the lights flicker, no one except for her noticing it.

"I'm the Doctor. Well, they call me the Doctor. I don't know why. I call me the Doctor, too. Still don't know why." The Doctor said curiously. He knew it was because he was hiding his true identity. He knew that it was what his name was because it's his name under Gallifreyan law. And he knew it was his name because it was a promise to himself, but why did he really, truly call himself the Doctor? It was a name with many meanings, it meant the healer to many civilizations, including earth. To other civilizations it meant medical hero. To the people of the Gamma forests it meant warrior. He even asked Astrid what she thought the word meant and she had told him that to her it meant hope. It meant hope, and love, and peace, but most of all … she said it meant a second chance. He was called Doctor for a reason, and that reason was still unknown, even to him.

"Maybe because it's your name!" Astrid said with a sarcastic smile. She even knew why he calls himself the Doctor, because he's the Doctor. That may not be his real name, but it's his name now. He's called the Doctor because he's a man of science and medicine. He's called the Doctor because he saves civilization after civilization, and not once has he asked for a thank you. He is called the Doctor because he is a symbol of love, and hope, and peace. But most of all he's the Doctor because he gives people a second chance, he isn't violent and he isn't judgmental. He's the Doctor and that is all she could ever ask for.

"Who lives upstairs?" The Doctor asked Craig, starring at the ceiling with a frown on his face. He knew that if Amy had sent them here that meant that whatever lived upstairs was the cause of whatever was making the Tardis act up. Everything happens for a reason, and Amy's note sending them here was no coincidence. Something was here, and it was some sort of threat to the people living here, but most of all it was a threat to Amy. That means that whatever is upstairs better watch their back because he did not like people putting his friends in danger.

"Just some bloke." Craig replied with a slightly confused expression on his face. The guy was nice enough. He never really spoke to the man, but from what he knew, he was a pretty normal neighbor. Some people were unlucky enough to get a rowdy teen, or a fighting married couple, but when it came to his neighbors, he was fortunate enough to get kind, secluded neighbors that kept the noise to a minimum. Neighbors were not a problem for him, and hopefully the strange man and the little girl felt the same way.

"What's he look like?" The Doctor asked with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. If Craig could tell them exactly what he looked like now, that meant he would have a better chance of finding out what type of threat they were facing. Was it a hologram, a robot, a multiform, maybe even a Raxacoricofallapatorian. Not matter what it was, Craig would know, and after finding out what it is then he would know how to defeat it. This was going to be so much easier than he had previously thought.

"Normal. He's very quiet." Craig said to the Doctor, a loud crash banging from above just seconds after he had said it. Why did the man upstairs start a ruckus now? Right when he was showing potential renters around the house, a man that obviously hated loud neighbors or he wouldn't have asked about it. The girl and the man were never going to decide to stay here now!

"Usually. Sorry, who are you again? Hello?" Craig asked the pair. If he was going to be sharing his apartment with anyone he was going to have to get to know them better. Right now all he knew is that the man with the crazy style of clothing liked to talk really fast, and was extremely smart, and that the little girl with the fiery red hair was mature, and very serious for her age. She didn't know what there names are, their relation to each other, what he did for his job, or even something as simple as what their favorite colors were. He was going to have to start somewhere, and Craig felt that the names were the best place to start.

"He's the Doctor and I'm Astrid. Really sorry about him, he's bonkers." Astrid said with a smile. Yes, the Doctor was crazy. Sure, he had some insane ideas sometimes. But that's what made him the Doctor. There was something about it that just made him likable. His genius last second plans were crazy, yet they had a little spark of something different … something only the Doctor could add. Yes, he was crazy, but he was the most fantastic person alive. He was special with plans only a truly brilliant person could ever come up with, and his ideas, although rarely executed without a flaw, were carried out so spontaneously that only the finest of minds could ever tell what had hit them. He was the Doctor, the mad man with a plan, and she was Astrid his companion, nothing more nothing less. That's who they were.

"Oh, um, okay." Craig said confused. So it hadn't exactly gone to plan. Yes he knew their names now, but telling him outright that the man was insane? Was that meant to be information that she felt obliged to tell, or was she just telling a simple joke? If it was a joke then why weren't they smiling? It was supposed to be funny right? And what sort of name was the Doctor? He could understand Astrid, because that was an actual human name … but the Doctor was a title not a name. Who would ever name their kid that? The Doctor sounded like some serial killer! Not a man looking for a house! What had Craig gotten himself into.

"Ah. I suppose that's dry rot?" The Doctor said, looking at a dark black grimy looking stain on the ceiling. It didn't look normal … it looked almost alien. That could not have been here this morning. Craig looked to appalled, so he had no idea it had been here. That meant it hadn't been here for longer than a couple of hours. It had to be something having to do with the alien, but what was it? What did it mean? What was it if it wasn't anything earthy or normal like rot.

"Or damp. Or mildew." Craig added, looking at the stain in curiosity and wonder. That hadn't been here this morning. So how had it gotten here? Rot, damp, and even mildew can't grow that fast. It's impossible! What was it if it wasn't rot or mildew or damp, there was no other choice.

"Or none of the above." Astrid replied with a smirk. She knew that it wasn't mold, or rot or anything like that but she also knew that it was dangerous. It can kill you just as much as mold could, and there was no way to stop it … yet anyways. In other news, she loved knowing more than the Doctor. No one did know more than him … not really. But she was awfully close to knowing as much as he did. She felt like a psychic, she knew things before anyone else did and yet she couldn't even tell anyone. She knew that she could change major events, so did that mean she could tell them about the so called 'mold' and save Craig from getting sick?

"I'll get someone to fix it." Craig told the Doctor, as if to assure him. Why today, of all days why had that stain showed up? The one day that it actually mattered what his house looked like. Yes, he hadn't exactly planned on anyone seeing the house today, nor had he planned on possible renters coming to see the place, but here they were, and of course the house was a disaster area, and on top of that a mysterious splotch of … something was on the ceiling.

"No, I'll fix it. I'm good at fixing rot. Call me the Rotmeister. No, I'm the Doctor, don't call me the Rotmeister. This is the most beautiful parlor I have ever seen. You're obviously a man of impeccable taste. We can stay, Craig, can't we? Say we can." The Doctor pleadingly asked. He had to stay it was the only way. He needed to figure out more about the strange stain, and the strange man that lived upstairs. Craig knew nothing about him and that meant trouble. This was going to be a lot harder than he originally thought, he had no idea what he was fighting, they were extremely powerful and all he had was a sonic screwdriver, and Amy wasn't even here to help. He was at a dead end, if he didn't get to stay here he didn't know what he would do. The one thing he knew for definite was that the trouble was at this house. That's all he had, and that's what he would start with. But the only way to do that is if Craig says he can stay.

"You haven't even seen the room." Craig told the man with a smile. The Doctor was one strange man. He already wanted to rent and he hadn't even seen his own room. He was enthusiastic and overall just a generally fun guy to hang out with. So far, from what Craig had seen he would make a really nice roommate. The thing that he really couldn't figure out was that name. Who was the Doctor? And then that little girl. She acted … older than she really was, yet she was carefree and fun to be around. She had this kind of sparkle in her eye, and a spark of adventure in her every step. Craig couldn't figure her out. She had a normal name, but she was different. She wasn't like any normal human being, she was just … off. They were the perfect roommates for him, but his only worry was that he didn't really know who they actually were, because he knew that they weren't telling him the whole story, they were hiding something from him, and he was going to find out what.

"The room?" The Doctor asked in confusion, Astrid looking at him as if he was a total idiot. What room did he need to see now, he had seen just about every single room here. It wasn't like he needed to see anything else. Maybe Craig would show him upstairs, that would help him significantly in saving Amy. Wow, significantly, what a grown up word. Maybe being with Astrid all the time really was changing him. Now then back to business, what room was Craig taking them to?

"Your room." Craig clarified, leading them through the hall to his roommate's old room. He didn't know what they were hiding but he knew that there was something hiding behind those innocent eyes of theirs. If they weren't hiding anything then why were they secretly glancing at each other nervously? Why did they both seem different as if something was off about them? And why out of all of the names in the universe would the Doctor be his name and not his title?

"My room? Oh, yes. My room. My room. Take me to my room." The Doctor told Craig with a smile. It wasn't upstairs, but it was still an important room. Not necessarily an important room for him, considering he didn't really need to sleep, but it was an important room for Astrid. Astrid needed sleep considering she was a human and if she didn't get sleep it wouldn't only be worse off for her but it would also be worse off for him, because if she didn't get sleep that meant she would be moody and really mean the next day. And he did NOT want to have to deal with that Astrid, not again. A room was good for everyone because that meant that everyone would be happy.

"It's OUR room, Doctor. I have to sleep too after all." Astrid explained to the Doctor. It was like he didn't even notice she was here. It was like she was still invisible to him. Like she was a ghost, just like when she had first arrived here. But unlike before, she was not going to sit down and take it. She wasn't going to pretend like it didn't matter, because it did matter. She wasn't just some little girl now, she was a companion, and she wanted her voice heard! She was Astrid Selene and there was no way in hell that she was going to let the Doctor ignore her.

"No time to lose. I'll take it. Ah you'll want to see my credentials." The Doctor said, showing Craig the Psychic paper. If he was going to save Amy and possibly the world he needed to start now. He had a plan … an idea that involved a machine that involved staying here. He had everything planned out. Now it was time for his least favorite bit … pretending to be less like an alien and more humany.

"Now then, are you hungry? I'm hungry." The Doctor announced, heading towards a room that looked like a kitchen. He hadn't eaten that long ago, but thinking of a plan really got him hungry. He was starving. Besides, he had a long night ahead of him if he was going to build that machine, he was going to have no time for something as useless as eating. That was for humans, not him. If he was going to eat, he was eating now.

"Really? You're hungry?! We stopped for food on our way here like twenty minutes ago!" Astrid exclaimed in disbelief. After walking around for just a half an hour she had became famished, so since they were lost with no hope of finding Craig's house they had stopped at a nice little restaurant not to far from where they were now, so how is it that the Doctor could possibly be hungry?

"I haven't got anything in." Craig said regretfully. He never really cooked his own food, usually him and Sofie would order a pizza or something and talk about their days. He was never really one for properly cooking. That's why he hadn't needed to go to the store for a few weeks. He still got eggs and seasoning, but not really anything for a guest to eat for lunch.

"Yeah you do you've got everything… for the Doctor anyways. Who's the girl?" Astrid asked, staring at the picture of a pretty, blonde haired girl on the fridge. She knew it was Sofie … Craig's best friend and ultimate crush, but this was all a part of her plan to get Craig and Sofie together. She called it operation Crofie, because of course she absolutely shipped them. She didn't know what she could change during this adventure and what she couldn't, but she knew one thing … it didn't matter whether she showed them their love or not, Sofie and Craig were going to get together.

"My friend. Sophie. She's my friend who's a girl … not like a girlfriend with dating and stuff. There's nothing going on between us." Craig told them nervously. They weren't dating, that was true, but he sure wanted to. She was beautiful. Her hair was as bright as a tulip and her smile just made his whole day complete. She was also smart, and charming, and just the best friend anyone could have. She was the perfect woman, which was bad for him because he could never deserve someone like that. She was perfect and he was not, simple as that.

"Oh, that's completely normal. Works for me and Astrid." The Doctor replied with a smile on his face. He had a relationship with the older version of her, that was true. But even though it was, he couldn't try anything with the younger version of her. He couldn't kiss her plump pink lips, or hold her close to him as he whispered gallifreyan into her ear. He couldn't do anything with the younger Astrid, nothing except be friends with her. Sometimes it was so hard, she was just so beautiful and he loved her with everything he had already. Sometimes he just wanted to attack her with kisses, but then he would stop himself and remember that this wasn't his Astrid. This Astrid was just his friend and companion, nothing more. And that's what made him upset.

"Yeah, because it's totally normal to have a friend that just happens to be a girl that you have no feelings for whatsoever." Astrid said with a laugh. Weirdly enough, her and Craig were very similar when it came to having a friend that you just happened to be in love with. That's definitely where they could relate. They both wanted to be noticed by their significant other … nothing more nothing less. But where Astrid and Craig differed was the fact that Craig would eventually get to marry his true love. He had the picture perfect life with the picture perfect wife, he would get to have a son, and move to a nicer home. He got everything that Astrid didn't. She would never get the perfect ending. No little house with the white picket fence, and the family she's always wanted. Once upon a time she could have had that, back when she was stuck on her own planet. Maybe marry some British dude while working for the BBC and travel the world from place to place, maybe even starting a family. But not now … even though she was traveling with someone she deeply cared about, she would never get that happily ever after.

"Wait a minute … Why am I telling you this? I don't even know you." Craig said in confusion. They weren't telling the truth, and he knew nothing about their personal lives, so why would he go blurting out things about his personal life? And why did he sound so nervous when he did blurt things out? It's not like they cared. They were just two people looking for a place to live. They didn't care about his crush on his friend. They had their own problems to deal with. They didn't have time to help him with his love life. He was being stupid, why should he tell them things when they aren't even going to care? Let alone, why would he tell two complete strangers who in the long run, probably aren't going to even meet Sofie.

"Well, I've got one of those faces. People never stop blurting out their plans while I'm around." The Doctor replied with a smirk. No matter what planet or civilization he was saving, the bad guys always told him a plan. Whether it was before he stopped them or after. Either way they always did. For some reason people just found his young face approachable, maybe being this young wasn't so bad. After all, most people did tell them everything about themselves.

"When has anyone EVER told you their plans? And Craig does not count." Astrid asked the Doctor, curiosity brimming in her eyes. If you really thought about it, the bad guys never told the Doctor what they were going to do and what their plans were … not until they thought that they were winning at least, and even then it was very rare. Usually the Doctor has to figure it out himself. Not once has a monster or alien spilled it's secrets to the Doctor, I mean come on they had to be smarter than that right? If they were planning to take over the world or some other universe domination thing, would they really be as stupid as to tell the Doctor? No one would, because they know if they do then the Doctor would destroy them. No one's that stupid, even I don't tell the Doctor all of my plans.

"Right. Where's your stuff?" Craig asked the two, looking for their belongings. They did have belongings right? They weren't a pair of hobos with nothing but the clothing they had on, were they? They had to have something of value that they had brought with them. A suitcase or maybe a backpack … something small. Just something that made them seem even remotely normal. Why would they come to a house that they hoped to live in if they had no clothing?

"Oh, don't worry, it'll materialize. If all goes to plan." The Doctor assured Craig. The Tardis was everything he owns, and if, only if he can defeat whatever is stopping her from landing then will he get his stuff back. The Tardis was everything he cared about other than his companions and Astrid. The Tardis was his life, the only piece of home that he had left. The old girl had been with him through everything, every companion, every goodbye, every adventure, there she was. Whenever it got rough for him to keep on exploring the universe, there she was to give him the push he needed. When the Tardis saw him at his lowest, she gave him Astrid, the perfect companion. The person he needed to continue traveling. The Tardis had given him Astrid, a person so loving and kind, so judgey and funny that it was like the Tardis herself had turned into a person. The Tardis had given him love. The old girl meant so much to him that without he was nothing. Without her he was a mad man without a box. Without her he was just as weak as a human, apart of himself gone with her. That why it was so important to get her back. If everything goes to plan, the Tardis will be safe in his arms once again. All he had to do was wait.

"Nothing goes to plan with you … EVER." Astrid told the Doctor sassily. It was never really a plan … or even anything as good as even a half plan. Usually it was a 'thing' with the Doctor. Something that was just an idea floating around in his brain … something that was usually spontaneously carried out and ultimately lead to running for our lives. But it works I guess. That was the Doctor, and it made adventures exciting, so it was good enough for her.

* * *

"Oh, that was incredible. That was absolutely brilliant. Where did you learn to cook?" Craig asked the Doctor, whilst clearing the plates from the table. Even with just the little bit of food that was in the house, the Doctor had still made the best omelette he had ever tasted in his life. The Doctor was definitely like some sort of famous ex chef or something, because there was no way that someone that cooked that well wasn't famous. Where had he learned how to cook so well?

"Paris, in the eighteenth century. No, hang on, that's not recent, is it? Seventeenth? No, no, no. Twentieth. Sorry, I'm not used to doing them in the right order." The Doctor said, watching as Astrid face palmed herself. He really had learned to cook in the eighteenth century. In fact Napoleon had taught him. That was one thing most people didn't know about history. Not only was Napoleon a famous dictator, but he was also a famous chef at the time. The Doctor had gone there in hopes of learning how to cook Astrid's favorite meal for their upcoming date night. And of course being the huge romantic Napoleon was he had taught him some recipes.

"Ever been to Paris, Craig?" The Doctor asked, trying his best to change the subject so Craig wouldn't realize his mistake. Paris was a beautiful place, well other for the fact that cybermen tried to take it over in the 1820's. It was after all the first place he had proposed to Astrid. The first place he had tried to propose at least. But then the cybermen had taken over and he had to save the Earth, again. It had totally ruined my plans to propose, but at least I had a couple of other back up places I could do it. To this day I never officially proposed. But maybe one day. If older Astrid ever returns of course.

"Nah. I can't see the point of Paris. I'm not much of a traveler. Anyway. These, these are your keys." Craig said, handing a pair of gold keys to the man. In fact, he were to tell the truth he didn't really understand what all the fuss was about. Why would you want to travel, it was nothing special. Everywhere was the same. They all had the same shops, same jobs, same lives. Nothing was really different … well, other than how the people spoke of course. There was no point. No, Craig was just going to stay here where everything was familiar and nothing changed.

"I can stay?" The Doctor asked Craig. If he could stay that meant that all was not lost! That meant that he could put his plan into action, and that the Tardis wouldn't be lost forever. It also meant that he had a better chance of figuring out what is causing all the trouble and put a stop to it. Everything was going to plan. Wow, that was something that didn't happen often. He had a place to stay, and something was finally working out for him.

"Yeah, you're weird and you can cook. Astrid is nice, and funny and It's good enough for me. Right. Outdoor, front door, your door." Craig told the pair, handing the Doctor a ring of gold keys. Yes, they still had a lot of mystery to them, but that was the point of letting them rent. He would figure out what they were hiding. It was all part of his plan.

"My door. My place. My gaff. Ha ha! Yes. Me with a key." The Doctor said with a smile. He was officially a human now … well, not really. He was just going to act like one. He would finally be able to understand humans, get o n their level in a way. He could be able to relate to Astrid, and understand what her life was like, and it all started with this one little apartment. It may not matter but he had a room for himself. He was living all straight and linear like a person, a real living person. He had his own place!

"Again it's OUR room." Astrid said in frustration, slapping the Doctor on the back of the arm. She was not going to be ignored, not anymore! She's had it with everyone acting like she didn't exist, and she's going to stand around pretending that it's all fine and dandy with her. Her voice was going to be heard. He turned around, a small smile lighting his features as he noticed her eyes glowing the darkest red he had ever seen. She was becoming her hotheaded older self every second she stayed with him. Older Astrid had been right when she had told him that it was his fault that she was who she was.

"Yes, sorry Astrid, It's _OUR_ room." The Doctor said apologetically, correcting his mistake as he rubbed the place she had hit him. She was definitely getting closer and closer to becoming the Astrid he knew. They sure hit just as hard as one another. At least she had been stinking up for herself, he hadn't been talking to her or even mentioning her at all today. She wanted attention, instead of being ignored and she proved that to him, that was for sure. What he wanted to know however, was why both the younger version and the older version of Astrid both insisted on hitting him as hard as possible? With younger Astrid it seemed to him that it was whenever she was angry at him. But with older Astrid … well she hit him practically all the time. When she was mad, when she was upset, when she was moody, even when he did nothing wrong. She was as random as he was, one minute they're making out, the next she slaps him for answering the phone. She was one spontaneous enigma, and she was slowly becoming his.

* * *

"Earth to Pond, Earth to Pond. Come in, Pond." The Doctor called over his Bluetooth. If his plan was going to work that meant that Amy would have to communicate with him, and what better time then when he was laying on a comfy bed in his room that he shared with Astrid. His plan was simple, find out how the Tardis is doing with updates from Amy, and build a machine thingy in his bedroom where no one can find it. Step one, check.

"Doctor!" Amy yelled through the earpiece, a wide smile on her face. Finally, after hours of waiting he finally decided to check on her. The waiting wasn't that bad … especially when your exploring an infinite space ship, but after a while even that got boring when you're all alone with nobody to talk to. Now she understood why the Doctor always traveled with somebody, because traveling alone really didn't help your sanity.

"Could you not wreck my new earpiece, Pond?" He asked Amy as a massive feedback echoed through the earpiece. At least Amy was happy to hear from him, that was a plus. She was probably super lonely by now. Hopefully the old girl hadn't let her explore, he had a lot of rooms in that spaceship that was not for curious companions. A few of which, were rooms from Astrid's future. If Amy had seen any of those and told Astrid, the whole timeline would fall apart. Anyways even if she had explored, it wouldn't be for long right? Humans just had really short attention spans and after a while of walking around in an infinite space ship she was bound to lose interest at some point in time. That's why she was so excited to talk to him, that it almost broke his earpiece.

"Then we would never be able to communicate." Astrid said aloud, hoping that maybe Amy would have heard her. She knew the Doctor sure had, because he was smiling away yet again. Even if Amy couldn't hear her, at least the Doctor was enjoying her sarcastic comments. Maybe that whack on the arm had done some good, maybe that's the key. Before she had hit him he had paid zero attention to her, but now … now he actually talked to her like a real, actual human being. Maybe all he needed was a little reminder once in awhile that she was here now too. That's what she should do, she should smack him more often. Yeah, that's what she'll do.

"How's the Tardis coping?" The Doctor asked in curiosity. From what he knew the force was strong. Really strong if it had caused an explosion that caused Astrid so much pain. So that meant that it must be wreaking havoc on the old girl. And that meant that they only had a certain amount of time until the Tardis was thrown into the Vortex, lost forever, and Amy with it.

"See for yourself." Amy replied, holding the headset up so he could hear the horrible noise. The Tardis had been emitting this sound for a while now, which was another major reason why she was eager to talk to the Doctor. He could fix it, he was after all constantly tinkering and fixing things that didn't need fixing, and it was _**his**_ Tardis. So that meant that he was bound to know how to fix the horrible noise. The terrible noise that was slowly driving her insane.

"Ooh, nasty. What do you think Astrid?" The Doctor asked Astrid, finally talking to her. He knew that she would have some sort of idea, and if he didn't ask it would mean trouble. He was ignoring her too much lately and that was going to have to change. She was important to him, and her opinion matters, so if he didn't ask her no one would. Well … Rory would have. Rory was her best friend, and in a way they were both ignored. He knew that Rory spent hours listening to her talk, listening to her opinions instead of ignoring her like a ghost. But Rory's dead now. He hadn't even thought about how that had affected Astrid, he was too busy grieving himself to care. Rory will never be able to talk to her again and it was all his fault. He would have to make it up to her. He was going to have to take the place of Rory, ask her for her opinions more often, and talk to her instead of ignoring her. He would start today, she was bound to know something about the Tardis.

"She's locked in a materialization loop, trying to land again." Astrid guessed, her eyes wide, realizing exactly what she had just said. She was a super huge fan of Doctor Who, but never that huge a fan to remember a line as sciencey as what had come out of her mouth! How did she ever come up with something like that! Something was definitely wrong with her, she was acting more like a geek than she ever was or ever could be. Why would she understand something as complex as how the Tardis works, only the nerdiest of nerds would understand that. And that was something she was definitely not. So either the Doctor's Tardis nerdiness was rubbing off on her, she remembered that line subconsciously, if not something was seriously wrong with her.

"Hmm. And whatever's stopping the Tardis from landing is upstairs in that flat. So, go upstairs and sort it." Amy told the two. It was obvious, all they had to do was defeat whatever alien threat was causing the Tardis from going all crazy. So if they hadn't done that already, what was stopping them from doing it? She was seriously ready to be rescued now, and if it was as simple as walking upstairs then her question was, why she wasn't saved by now. The Doctor was a genius man who knew alien's really well, and Astrid was bound to know what was going on, after all she did know everything about the Doctor's adventures. They were two of the brightest people in the world, so how is it possible that she was still stuck in space?

"We don't know what it is yet. Anything that can stop the Tardis from landing is big. Scary big." The Doctor replied. We already established that no one in the house had a single idea what it was, not even Craig had seen anything out of the ordinary. It could be literally anything in the universe. There was no way of knowing what it was.

"Wait. Are you scared?" Amy asked the Doctor in confusion. The Doctor was a mysterious man that she knew so much but so little about. She didn't know if he even had fears, but to her, from what she had seen, he wasn't scared of anything. He laughed in bad alien's faces and he crushed them under his boot like a piece of trash. And Astrid was never scared, she was the bravest kid Amy had ever seen! She knew everything that was about to happen, things that are, things that will, and things that may be, so there was not one reason for her to be frightened. Both of them were fearless, and yet it seemed to Amy like that was why they didn't want to go upstairs.

"I can't go up there until I know what it is and how to deal with it. And it is vital that this man upstairs doesn't realize who and what I am. So no sonicking. No advanced technology. I can only use this because we're on scramble. To anyone else hearing this conversation, we're talking absolute gibberish." The Doctor explained to Amy in one long babble. It was nice to finally explain his plan. So far everything was working out perfectly, the only downside was to acting human was that he couldn't use his sonic. His sonic was his baby. It was the one thing he always relied on to save the day. Without it, he basically was a human. No box, no sonic, no companion. Just the younger version of his girlfriend. He was powerless. He was explaining a plan, yet he had no way to execute it because he couldn't use his sonic.

"Technically you are speaking gibberish because NO ONE can understand your rambles." Astrid said, rolling her eyes. Watching as she rolled her eyes, The Doctor raised an eyebrow, a small smirk resting on his lips. Yes, most people didn't understand him. But not Astrid, Astrid understood him perfectly. It may not be quite yet until she notices it … but she understood the universe and all the sciency stuff that went along with it just as well as he did. She was a genius, a beautiful genius with a brain like no other. She was Astrid Selene, his brilliant science nerd.

"Now all I've got to do is pass as an ordinary human being. Simple. What could possibly go wrong?" The Doctor said to both Astrid and Amy. From what he knew about humans, which wasn't much, he had learned from the older version of Astrid, and most of that information was about girl things. He didn't know one thing about human men. He didn't know what they did, or how they acted. He assumed that they liked shopping since that what most humans did. But other than that he knew nothing. Could he really pass as a human?

"Have you seen you?" Amy said with a laugh. He was an alien. An alien that looked like a human, but still an alien. And he bloody hell acted like one. He didn't understand human things, and he was always licking things and tasting them. What person in their right mind would EVER do that?! And that's without even mentioning his weird style, and eating habits. No, he couldn't be human. She wouldn't even bet money on it, he was as alien as alien could get.

"So you're just going to be snide. No helpful hints?" The Doctor asked Amy, hoping for some sort of clue on what humans did. He knew they liked money, so did that mean that he should hand some out to other people? Is that what humans do when they went shopping. Gave people money in return for something to wear? It was a stupid system, but he could certainly try it.

"Hmm. Well, here's one. Bow tie, get rid." Amy snapped back at the Doctor. If she was going to be telling him how to act human, the bow tie was going to be the first thing to go. Amy hated it! It made him look like an old guy. Besides, no one wore bow ties anymore anyways, he'd just look ridiculous. Who even liked bow ties other than people that were already well into their eighties. Humans wore regular things like jeans and a t shirt. So if she was going to show the Doctor how to be normal, the bow tie had to go.

"Bow ties are cool, don't dis the bow tie, Ames." Astrid said, nabbing the sunglasses off of the Doctor's face and placing them on her. The Doctor smirked at her, here she was at her youngest. She was innocent, the knowledge not yet there. She was so … free, and it just made him so lucky to get to know this version of her. She wasn't the universe, or the goddess of the universe. She wasn't the girl of time, or the all knowing woman. She didn't yet have the weight of everything on her shoulders, and she didn't yet have blood on her hands. She was pure, and her name was Astrid Selene. She was a fourteen year old girl human girl, with no worries whatsoever. The one thing that matters in all of this is that Astrid enjoyed her life at one point, and that's all he cares about.

"Yeah, bow ties _**are**_ cool, listen to Astrid. Amy, I'm a normal bloke. Tell me what normal blokes do." The Doctor begged. He really needed for Amy to help him, instead of criticizing his outfit choices. He wore this bow tie for Astrid, ever since she had told his former regeneration how much she had loved seeing him wear one, it had been the only thing he had worn. It was in a way to show her just how much he loved her. That bow tie was their symbol of love and it always would be. Without this bow tie he wouldn't feel the same love he felt every time Astrid's face would light up when she saw him wear one. Without it he felt naked. No, if he was acting humany, that would be one thing he would never ever change about himself. Amy better tell him what he should really do to fit in, because if she didn't soon, he would never fit in.

"They watch telly, they play football, they go to the pub." Amy told the Doctor, listing a few possible choices. She didn't understand men all that well, especially since she had no boyfriend to talk to about the topic. She didn't know why they hung out in groups at pubs, or why they were so intent on watching every single football match in history. She wasn't the best when it came to normal guy things, but she knew one thing … the three things that they cared about the most were girls, their friends, and their egos, and those were the three things that she associated the most with the Doctor, so maybe it wouldn't be _that_ hard for him to be normal.

"I could do those things. I don't, but I could." The Doctor replied. He was actually pretty good at watching telly, it wasn't that hard. In fact he's watched a movie or two with Astrid on their date nights. He would never ever go to the pub considering there was alcohol there, and he simply hated alcohol. As for football, well he's never actually played football in this regeneration. In a few of his regenerations he has played sports, like cricket … but never anything like football. He didn't even know if he could play football. He probably could, knowing his skill set.

"No you couldn't, you're the least normal person in the universe!" Astrid exclaimed with a giggle. The Doctor … this version anyways was always acting like an alien. He didn't understand humany things, he dressed in the most oddest clothing, he even ate fish fingers and custard together, which are two foods that obviously don't go together. He was the most alien like alien you could ever meet! But that was okay, because that's who the Doctor was. Even if he did act different he was funny, and random, and so smart it was just crazy. He was perfect in his own way. And she never wanted him to become normal, not if it meant losing the type of person he was now. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a loud bang from upstairs rang through the room. She looked around in a panic trying to figure out what had happened, while the sensible part of her brain told her that it was just what was happening upstairs.

"Hang on. Wait, wait, wait. Amy?" The Doctor yelled into the earpiece, listening as Amy freaked out, and the Tardis went crazy. He watched as the clock on the wall and his wristwatch seemed to go backwards and forwards extremely quickly, finally after a few moments of thinking, he figured out what was going on.

"Interesting. Localized time loop." The explained, watching as the clocks seemed to go everywhere at once. Whoever was doing this had some sort of time machine. Only time machines could control something as complicated as a time loop. Who would want a time loop? Why did they need a time loop? Better yet, what was the time loop affecting? If he could figure out the answers to any of those questions he could fix this mess, yet he still had no idea.

"Doctor!" Astrid yelled in terror, staring at her skin as white started to surround her. She was glowing white, but how? Why? What was going on with her skin? It kept getting brighter and brighter, the Doctor doing nothing more than staring at her in confusion. The white started to blind her, her surroundings fading out as the white engulfed her to the point where she couldn't see anything.

"Amy, we've got a problem. Astrid's disappeared!" The Doctor stated. A look of surprise woven into his face. Astrid was gone. He didn't know where she went and if she would ever come back. She was gone, and now he might not see her ever again.


	12. Ch 12: Torchwood

She screamed as the light whisked her to a new place, a place that could be anywhere. She remembered this light, it was similar to the light that had transported her from Stormcage when she had met River for the first time. It didn't necessarily hurt … it just felt strange. It felt like something was tugging at her body and pulling her somewhere else, it was like a weird tingling sensation, it didn't hurt but it was really annoying. The light started to dim, and she looked around at her surroundings. Weird lighting and spacey futuristic looking decorations, it looked familiar, like perhaps she had seen this place before. Wait … was it … no it couldn't be, but it was. She was in Torchwood! But that would mean …

"Woah, you alright there cutie." THE Jack Harkness said, helping the girl up. She was really hot for her age. But she was sadly way too young for him. Not only that, but she seemed to have somehow appeared here out of nowhere. She was a mystery, just like him. A mystery that he was dying to find the answer to before it was too late. A mystery that he was definitely going to have some fun with if he had any say in it. Her case seemed similar to space princess, one of Jack's friends. Could this be princess from her past? If this was princess from the past then where was the Doctor? The Doctor was always with his girl, he never really left her side. So the question was, if this was space princess, then where was her knight in shining armor.

"Of course she isn't alright Captain obvious." River said, rolling her eyes as she did. She was obviously sore. It wasn't that hard to figure out. Astrid was a really breakable person at her young age, and the fact that she was transporting around with a sore stomach really wasn't helping things. Jack was busy trying to be flirty, which not only made River a little frustrated considering that he was totally ignorant of the fact that she was hurt. But it also made her a little angry considering he was trying to flirt with a fourteen year old Astrid! I mean yes, Astrid is adorable and just a tad bit hot as a child, and sure, if this was a different situation River would be flirting herself. But still that was no reason to be flirting with Astrid at a time like this! She needed someone to help her, not flirt the lips off her!

"Jeez that hurt. You try transporting around with a with a sore wound on your stomach. Oh wait it wouldn't matter. You would just heal right back up like a worm." Astrid huffed in an annoyed way. Jack was lucky, he would go through pain for like a minute, and then a second later he would be all healed up and feeling like his normal Captain Sexy self. He didn't have to go through the hours of soreness that other people would have after being wounded. He was the immortal man, and unlike her he would always be absolutely fine. She would have to go through appearing in random places while her healing wound agitated her relentlessly. Everytime she disappeared and appeared somewhere else it felt like a giant bruise on her stomach was being rubbed the wrong way. Coming here and meeting Jack though just made everything just that little bit better. Come on … It's Jack Harkness … need she say more.

"What's your name fellow American?" Jack asked, helping the poor girl to stand. She was American, which was something rare in these parts. And that's totally excluding the fact that she somehow knew everything there was to know about his immortality. This had to be Astrid! There was no doubt. This young kid was sarcastic, sassy, and a full out know it all. Which was Astrid from the very top of her head to her very appealing bottom.

"My names Astrid, and stop flirting you ball of hotness. I'm only fourteen after all." Astrid replied. It was true that if she were maybe just a tad bit older maybe she'd let him flirt with her … what fangirl hadn't at one point or another dreamt of themselves doing exactly that. And maybe if she were the right age Astrid wouldn't have minded a nice kiss from the Captain either. But alas, she was only fourteen. Which meant flirting and or kissing a man that was centuries older than her was a huge no no.

"Hello my name's …" Jack started, only to be cut off by the fiery ginge. Yup, this was Astrid alright. And boy was she hot as a ginger. Not only that but her eyes were just glowing! This wasn't the flirty, headstrong Astrid that he knew … it was like she was missing a part of herself. Her eyes hadn't lost their happy smirk yet. She was still merely a child, a child that would one day turn into a fantastic woman.

"Yes, I know your name Mr. Captain Jack Harkness. And yes, introducing yourself counts as flirting. I don't really mind but still … stop." Astrid replied, cutting him off from his obvious pick up line. Astrid had to admit that was clever, turning you own name into a pick up line was just genius. No one would ever think of doing that … well … no one except Jack. Oh, Astrid had had dreams of dating this guy … but really who hadn't. To be honest if she were older she wouldn't hesitate to date him. But that would provide a whole new set of problems. First of all, he bounced from woman to woman and there was no way that he could be loyal to one person for longer than a week … besides Ianto of course. Second, Jack was Immortal and she wasn't which meant that eventually she would die and he wouldn't. Which meant that he would end up living on without her. And third, Astrid had feelings for the Doctor, feelings that would obviously never go away. Dating another guy … whether it was Jack or not would just make that feeling worse than it could ever be. Jack was a good guy … maybe even a great one … but no matter how much she wanted to flirt with him, date him, or kiss him senseless she couldn't. She was fourteen and he was … well … he was like a few decades or so older than her. It was wrong. It just wouldn't work.

"Oh? So you know me?" Jack asked flirtily. He already knew that she had foreknowledge on the subject, the older version had after all told Jack the story of her life, why else would she know exactly who he was. She knew his life story, every boyfriend, every girlfriend, every death he had ever had. She knew everything about him, yet she still had become his best friend. The one person he could trust, and one of the best strip poker players he had ever seen … literally. She was the first girl to ever tell him no, and the first person to ever gain his trust. He knew her just as much as she knew him, and he hoped that it would never change.

"Yup! You're pretty famous around here." Astrid replied with a smile. Jack was one of the better Doctor Who people to be around, and beside the point, he had his own show. Astrid had only seen it once, after having it recommended to her by a friend. But, all um … suggestive scenes aside, It was a very, very, VERY good show, and a really popular one too. Jack was a really popular character and all the girls loved him. He was the character that knew how to have a good time, despite having so many dark secrets. He was someone that everyone wanted to meet. Yeah, Jack was famous alright, and here he was right in front of her. So technically she had just met a famous person, she could check that one off her checklist now.

"Yeah famous for flirting with every single living thing in the universe!" River replied sarcastically. River swore that one of these days, Astrid's comments were going to get to Jack's head and he was going to turn into an arrogant pain in the arse. Not that he wasn't already, he just hid it a whole lot better and seemed to annoy only her with his antics. Astrid always found ways to inflate his ego, one flattering comment after another. People said that flattery got you nowhere, but when it came to Astrid and Jack, that was clearly not the case. They were best friends … well at least older Astrid and Jack were. Jack flirted, and Astrid complimented him, that's how it worked. So when they say flattery gets you nowhere, what they meant to say was, flattery gets you everywhere.

"So since you're here and I'm famous what would you like to do?" Jack asked her, giving her the traditional Jack Harkness smile. If Astrid was here all alone and by her lonesome it meant that she could transport back to the Doctor at any random moment, and so Jack was going to make the most of the short amount of time he could spend with her. The future her had once told him that he was one of her favorite characters in her universe, and that meeting him in the flesh was like a dream come true. She had said that he was her best friend … the fun, trustworthy friend that she had always wanted, and that was exactly what he was going to be. He was going to show her the fun parts of life, parties, and loud music, and dancing, and everything in between. He was going to show her that life was worth living before she turned into the broken older version of herself. He was going to show her life at it's fullest, and today would be the start of it all.

"How about a girls night out?" River suggested, a smile on her face. It had been months since she had seen Astrid this young, and she'd be damned if she didn't have at least a little fun with her, which was precisely why she had offered up a girls night. Their girls night out wasn't as simple as a movie and some popcorn … no, their girls night out days were legendary. Whenever they were together something amazing, or equally as dangerous happened. In fact, she had come to notice that they were a huge part of history, which was always fun for an archeologist. She wanted to show Astrid just a little bit of what her future self would be doing with her, even if it was just for a little bit. She knew that appearances like these, where the Doctor wasn't with her were extremely rare and hardly ever lasted more than five hours tops. If all she had was a few minutes to a few hours she was going to give Astrid the best time of her life … because honestly Astrid deserved it. The older version of her went through hell and back again, and before any of that happened she was going to let Astrid enjoy life to the fullest, because that's exactly what the future version of Astrid would have wanted.

"But what about me." Jack asked curiously. If they were going out, he was going too! This was so like River and Astrid. They always planned these girly nights out, like crashing weddings, and going to strip bars, and diffusing bombs on top of the empire state building. Whenever they were together is was like hell had crashed upon the world. Separated they were devils in heels, but put them together and you'll wish like you were never born. They were inspirable. Wherever they went something historic happened. The Civil War happened because River and Astrid were fighting with each other, The second world war was started because Astrid was mad at River for punching the Doctor, and the Berlin wall came crumbling down because Astrid was hurt on the other side of it. All throughout history, Astrid and River made history happen, and Jack would be lying if he said he didn't want to be a part of that. He wasn't going to miss one part of this girls night, not even if Weevils started falling out of sky. He was going and that was that.

"You can come too. If you'd like." River replied in a suggestive tone. Yes, Jack was a huge pain in the arse, but even River would admit that he was one hell of a party animal. He was an amazing person to take to a party, and no one could deny it. He was the king of alcohol, the master of picking up women (and men at times), and overall just a fun person to take to a party. If River was going to be making this night legendary for Astrid, Jack was going to go with them. With her and Jack combined, there was no way that this girls night would be anything less than legendary, and for that she was certain. Oh, he could come too alright … she just wasn't going to sound like a friend when he asked him.

"Oh I like you, River." Astrid emphasized. River was an awesome person. She was the high heeled devil that did what she wanted when she wanted, no one questioning otherwise. She was the bad girl, with the heart of an angel. And not only that, River had helped her in her time of need, a time when she had been bleeding out and dying with no hope of living whatsoever. River had fixed her. She had nursed her back to health, and she had helped her become a different person. River was the person she would strive to be, a strong, confident woman that wasn't afraid to speak her mind. River was one of her dearest friends, and Astrid would never forget that.

"Watch out that might give him ideas. Now let's go before all bars close." River said, dragging Astrid towards the exit. All she had to do now was find a nice dress, fix her hair up, add some makeup and make her look a little older. This was going to be fun considering older Astrid never wore makeup or dresses. Plus, there was the fact that Astrid never let River pick her outfits out. Younger Astrid was different in that sense, and it was something that River was definitely going to use to her advantage. This morning when she had woken up she had not expected to do anything but help Jack with paperwork, but now here she was heading to a bar with a fourteen year old Astrid, and a semi-sexy American. Goodbye boring paperwork, and hello fun. Today was going to be bloody fantastic.


	13. Ch 13: The Lodger Pt 2

_P.S: I'm sorry this took me so long to post. I've been busy with my Sherlock fanfiction "The Enigma To My Heart." So if you enjoy Sherlock check that out. (I swear I feel like Steven Moffat Juggling both a Doctor Who fanfic and a Sherlock Fanfic.) Alright, so I hope you enjoy the chapter. It may not be the best chapter I've written, so sorry about that. I promise the next chapter will be amazing! Enjoy!_

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A white glow seemed to shine throughout the whole room, the walls shimmering as the glimmer blinded the Doctor for a moment. He knew what this meant, it meant that Astrid was back. The light died down to reveal Astrid wearing a sparkly red tank top and a black skirt. She seemed to be in really high red heels and glitter was covering her hair. But that wasn't thing that made the Doctor confused, what made the Doctor confused was the banana that Astrid was currently holding in her hand.

"Astrid! Your back! What are you wearing? Is that a banana?" The Doctor questioned at rapid speed. She looked adorable in that outfit, so the Doctor wasn't really complaining. In fact if she was the older version of herself he would have seriously consider kissing her right now. But really the banana? What was that about? He was really curious now ... how long had she been gone? Where had she appeared off to?

"Slow down there. I'm wearing this because the vortex sent me to Jack Harkness and River and we went to a party. And I'm eating a banana because you should always take a banana to a party! Duh!" Astrid replied with a smile. It had been really fun, well other than having River dress her up of course. She hated skirts ... this one wasn't too bad, but she just hated how girly they were. She had let River dress her up in one, because it was after all the sort of thing a person would normally wear to a party. And the banana ... well that was more Astrid trying to be funny then anything else.

"You were with Jack! Did he try anything because if he did ..." The Doctor threatened, only to be cut off by Astrid. He knew that Jack was only friends with Astrid, she had assured him of that fact several times throughout the time he had been together with future Astrid. But this had been the first time Astrid had met Jack, if he had said anything to change the timeline future Astrid could start dating Jack because of something Jack had said to her now. Jack and Astrid could become more than just friends because of this simple meeting and that meant that Astrid would have never fallen in love with him. Jack was Jack and he flirted with people. But that did not mean that he was allowed to flirt with her. He could flirt with anyone in the universe and the Doctor would never care, but he was NOT allowed to flirt with her. Just not his Astrid.

"Woah, calm down, he didn't try anything. Actually, he's really cool in person! So What did I miss?" Astrid asked, bouncing up and down on the bed as she waited for an answer. The Doctor had been really protective of her ... did that mean that she was special, or did he just not like Jack? Yeah, the Doctor always told Jack to stop flirting with people ... but he never outright threatened him for flirting with other people. In fact, the way the Doctor had said it was almost possessive ... like he owned her or something. No, she was just being silly, the Doctor was probably just mad since he didn't like the thought of Jack flirting with someone as young as her. That's it, nothing more and nothing less. She had probably just imagined him sounding possessive. Speaking of the Doctor, what part was he at now? She really hoped she hadn't missed the soccer game, she would have really enjoyed playing a game or two. She had after all been a soccer player for six years of her life. Soccer was her sport, and she was itching to go back out on the field and kick some butt.

"I played a bit of futbol, totally won by the way and I hung out with Craig and Sophie and encouraged her to follow her dreams. Oh and I built this widget." The Doctor explained, gesturing to the strange spinning thing standing in the center of the room. He really wished that Astrid had been there to see him win futbol, he really wanted to impress her, and winning one of her favorite sports would have definitely impressed Astrid. Besides that, he kind of wished she had been here instead of disappearing off to a party with Jack. Astrid was a very calming presence for the Doctor, when she wasn't hitting him of course, and that meant that having her around would have definitely made building the machine much easier. Without Astrid he had been so distracted thinking about her that it had taken double the amount of time then it should have. She was his weakness, and that was something the Doctor hated because that meant that at any moment she could be killed and it could be all his fault.

"Darn it I missed meeting Sophie I loved her on the show!" Astrid exclaimed. Sophie had been a character she had always wanted to meet, she was nice, and funny, and she's determined. Not only that but she was a dreamer just like Astrid. She had always wanted to work with monkeys, just like Astrid had always wanted to meet the Doctor and she had never given up on her dream. She was a hoper, she had a crush on Craig yet she never once gave up on the hope that one day her and Craig would be together. She was the type of person Astrid was now ... shy, quiet, and stuck in her own head. Astrid had hoped to talk to her ... to get some advice from an adult exactly like her. It's true that River Song was her role model, and River was who she had hoped to become ... but Sophie was her and Sophie would understand her hopes and dreams more so then River would.

"Can you just go upstairs already!" Amy yelled in exasperation. She was getting annoyed. She wasn't annoyed that she could very well fall out of existence, no Amy was annoyed because she was stuck in the Tardis while the adventure was going on without her. Amy understood how dangerous the adventures were with the Doctor, but wasn't that the best part of any adventure ... the chance that at any moment you could just as well die? That's what she loved about traveling in the Tardis ... not only did you get to see wondrous new planets and the beauty of the atmosphere on a daily basis, but you got to feel alive. Feel the rush of blood through your veins. It was a feeling that you rarely felt, but when you did feel it, oh god was it worth it. She yearned for that feeling now, it was like a drug to her. Staying up in this spaceship was doing nothing to give her that feeling. The fun was down where the Doctor was and she was stuck up here with the boring task of waiting. She wanted out, and the only way out was if the Doctor stop pretending to be a human and just went upstairs already!

"What and knowingly get myself killed? Then you really are lost. If I could just get a look in there. Hold on. Use the data bank. Get me the plans of this building. I want to know its history, the layout, everything." The Doctor said to Amy, a look of concentration sweeping over his eyes. If he can just understand the layout of the building maybe he could figure out why the alien had chosen to hide out in the attic so to speak. If he only knew where he was going. Knowing Astrid she probably knew how everything was going to work out already. She was a genius, plain and simple. In fact she was probably coming up with an alternate plan for if his failed. More than a few times in fact Astrid had saved his life with her plans, and they were safer and more efficient too. It was one of the reasons that the Doctor loved her so much, he could count on her to save their buts once his plan to find the layout of the building totally failed.

"That is not gonna help at all." Astrid explained to the Doctor. She knew that the plans would tell them that it was only a one story building and that there was no upstairs, but by the time Amy had found the plans they were already making their way upstairs. And besides that all it really did tell you was that the top floor had a perception filter on it ... there wasn't anything necessarily important about that. Even if they never knew the information it was obvious it was a perception filter ... come on even an idiot would know it's a perception filter. Only the people living there knew it was there and nobody saw it appear or disappear, that was like the definition for perception filter for crying out loud! What's he gonna do next, ask a cat for help?

"Meanwhile I'm gonna recruit a spy." The Doctor replied, thinking of the cat he had met a few hours prior. The Doctor had seen the cat walk out from upstairs which means that the feline should know something about what's going on upstairs. If the cat could tell him something about who or what was up there ... just the tiniest bit of information could tell him what was going on with all the time lapses and the mysterious spot on Craig's wall. He knew that that spot had something to do with what was going on. It had to be! It was the only possible explanation to why it was there. The cat would help tremendously, now all he had to worry about was how rusty he was when it came to actually speaking to a cat.

"Does no one listens to me! God I miss you Rory." Astrid exclaimed in exasperation. No one seemed to want to listen to her, at least Rory listened to her. But alas, Rory was gone ... at least for this adventure anyways. Rory was the person she could go to at a time like this ... a person that she could tell her ideas to and he wouldn't laugh. Rory would have made sure her voice was heard ... but now without him here ... without her best friend she just felt crappy and ignored. Rory was dead ... at least for now. All she had to talk to was herself, because the honest to god truth was that no one seemed to take her opinions seriously ... no one except him.

* * *

"You can do it. Show me what's up there? What's behind that door? Try to show me. Oh, but that doesn't make sense. Ever see anyone go up there? Lots of people? Good, good. What kind of people?" The Doctor spoke out loud. He watched amused while Astrid tried to hold back a laugh, smirking all the while. She really thought this was funny didn't she? Well, yes he did admit, this probably did look weird to people who didn't understand what was going on. He was after all talking to a species that not a lot of people understood. Now, back to work. Why were people going up there? There had to be a pattern a pattern that he just couldn't see right now. The people going up there were the key. They were the important part ... and the one part he hadn't figured out yet. He knew that whatever was up there was using them for something, but what?

"What kind of people do you think, oh genius cat whisper?" Astrid sarcastically replied. If no one was going to listen to her she was going to have to act like she mattered. Make them hear her voice. And the only way that she knew how to do that was to act sarcastic, rude, and like an overall jerk. Other than that, if she was placed in this world for a reason she was going to actually do something while she was here. She wasn't going to be idle, she was going to change this world for the better ... when she actually sucked up enough courage to do so anyways. Right now wasn't the time anyways, people were dying and if she interrupted the time stream anything could happen, something even as bad as the Doctor himself dying. And that was something she did not want to screw up. The time stream would stay the same ... for now at least. People go up the stairs and people die, simple as that.

"People who never came back down. Oh, that's bad. That's very bad." The Doctor replied back to the cat, listening to it meow. If the people that went up the steps never came back down then did that mean that they were being held captive. No, That didn't make sense, if they were being held captive then he would have been able to sense them. No, it was something much more complicated then that. It was so much darker with a much more permanent destination. The Doctor had an idea of what was going on up there now and honestly it meant one thing, Craig was going to have to move far far away from here and never return. Because they weren't held up there against their will, no those people had gone up there and hadn't come back down. They had died up there. Asking a cat for assistance had helped! Take that Astrid!

"I can't take this any more. I want you to go. You can have this back and all." Craig said as he marched up to the Doctor. He couldn't do it. The Doctor had to go. He was loud, and annoying, and he was so bloody convincing to Sofie. He was changing things, and Craig did not like change, not one bit. Him and Sofie were fine before the Doctor showed up and they would be fine without him. It was one thing to totally embarrass him in front of his mates, but to totally ruin his chances with Sofie was not acceptable. It had taken him a while to realize it, but he could not live with himself if Sofie left without him. Sofie was his best friend, someone that he cared about with all of his heart, and without her he was nothing. The Doctor had given her hope in a long lost dream and now she would be leaving all because of this stupid bloody Doctor fellow.

"What have I done?" Astrid asked Craig offended. She wasn't even here half the time, so what in the world had she done to make Craig upset in the little time she was actually here? She had been quiet, polite, and hardly ever around, isn't that the type of people Craig should like in a flat mate? Astrid didn't want Craig to hate her ... he was like the funniest person on this world ... well, except for Donna Noble of course, but she'd never meet Donna so Craig was the next best thing. Him hating her was not the first impression that she wanted.

"Nothing against you Astrid, I don't mind you, your actually quite nice. It's the Doctor that I do mind." Craig replied, giving the girl a small smile. Astrid honestly wasn't that bad, she was kind and she was smart, and she just had this aura around her that made him feel happy and safe. And her eyes, well they just had something to them that just made him instantly fond of her. She just seemed like a nice kid, and if she hadn't come with the Doctor he'd even consider letting her stay. She was never really in the way, and he rarely saw her, which was something that he enjoyed in a flatmate. But honestly, she was too young to do anything herself ... and Craig honestly doubted that she'd leave whatever she had with the Doctor to live with him. She was the cool one, it was the Doctor that was the real problem.

"Me? What did I do?" The Doctor asked in surprise. Why was he the one at fault here? He did everything that he should have ... he was nice, he helped Sophie follow her dreams, he paid a large sum of money to stay in a room that Craig had offered up. He even made Craig food, and cared for him when he was sick! What could he have possibly done wrong?

"Well, for a start your talking to a cats. And everybody loves you, and you're better at football than me, and my job, and now Sophie's all oh, monkeys, monkeys. Me and you, it's not going to work out. You've only been here three days. These have been the three weirdest days of my life. At least Astrid is somewhat normal!" Craig replied, pointing towards the young girl. She didn't talk nonsense like the Doctor and she was a sweet kid. She was not a problem at all.

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not." Astrid said in confusion. Somewhat normal was not how she had expected Craig would describe her. Usually people described her as a freak, or a nerd, or a dork ... some even preferred to call her a know-it-all piece of crap. She had her group of bullies just like everyone else ... but not once had any one of them ever called her abnormal or as Craig had called her 'somewhat normal'. So honestly, Astrid didn't know what to think of that. She had always said that normal was overrated, that being unique was what everyone should be doing. But was being somewhat normal actually a good thing?

"I can't go." The Doctor stated, looking at Craig in shock. What did he do that was so bad? In fact he was doing some rather nice things, he even saved Craig's life! Maybe it was because he was walking around with a fourteen year old. Yeah, that's why. The age gap was too much of a gap and Craig thought it was weird. Was it that obvious that he was in love with Astrid? And really even if it was obvious, just because he loved a fourteen year old was no reason to kick him out of the house. Alright, maybe it wasn't that. Maybe it was something else? Something less complicated and humany.

"Just get out!" Craig replied, glancing towards Astrid with a tiny ounce of regret. What if this sweet little girl had nowhere to go, nowhere else to live and he was just throwing her out into the London streets. She could get kidnapped, or worse killed and it would be all Craig's fault! She would surely starve herself to death out there, or die of hypothermia. Nevermind the Doctor, he looked well into his twenties and capable of getting a job, no Craig wasn't anywhere near concerned for him. But Astrid was small and weak and vulnerable. She was just a child! A child that could break so easily in a place like London. Craig was guilty that throwing her out there all alone would hurt her, not only momentarily but for life.

"Right. Only way. I'm going to show you something, but shush. Really, shush. Oh, I am going to regret this. Okay, right. First, general background." The Doctor rambled before head butting Craig. His thoughts transferred to Craig. Every thought or feeling or memory, it transferred to him slipping past his mind and into Craig's. First it was the scary things, the monsters and aliens he had fought in past lives, and the past faces he had had. But then, then came the memories of Astrid, and with those memories came overwhelming feelings of love grasping his chest and making him smile as it transferred to Craig. Not too long after that it stopped the pain starting to kick in as he moaned in pain.

"You're a ..." Craig started only to be cut off from the Doctor.

"Yes." The Doctor said, affirming Craig's thoughts.

"And she's ..." Craig started, pointing towards Astrid in alertness, only to be cut off in the middle of the sentence by the Doctor yet again.

"Shh, Spoilers." The Doctor replied, looking over to Astrid who was looking towards them both curiously. What were they talking about? She's what? What am I in the future, what is everyone so afraid to tell me?! I saw it in their eyes when they looked at me, both River and the Doctor. They looked at me so sadly, like I died or something. Wait ... I didn't die right? No, but it was always a possibility wasn't it? That's what always happens in Doctor Who. Companion meets Doctor, they go on adventures, Companion dies tragically, loses their memory, or gets separated from the Doctor in some way shape or form, and then the cycle starts all over again. Was I the next one to die? And if so the question was, how? I had plans on saving the Ponds when their time came, is that what happened? Did I rewrite Angels take Manhattan and save Rory and Amy from their terrible fate? Did River witnesses it and tell the Doctor to keep me safe, is that really how I go? Death by weeping angel, how fitting when they were my most feared alien of all time. Or maybe I ended up saving River from her terrible death at the Library. That would make more sense wouln't it, since the Doctor knew about my demise as well. Do I go back for her with the vortex manipulator like I had planned, and taken her place? That would be even more ironic considering she was afraid of the dark, and that would basically be death by shadows. Either way I didn't want to go. I wanted to save Clara too, make sure she was safe and sound when it was time for her to die. I needed to save them all, to make sure they were safe with the Doctor so the Doctor's heart never broke again. I was the Doctor's saving grace, I saved the Doctor's companions but at the price of my own it seemed. I was a dead girl walking.

"You've got a Tardis." Craig stated, snapping Astrid briefly out of her badly conceived thoughts.

"Yes. Shush. Eleventh. Right. Okay, specific detail." The Doctor explained before briefly head butting Craig once again.

"You saw my ad in the paper shop window." Craig said, the memory of Astrid and the Doctor staring at the paper in the store playing like a movie behind his closed eyelids.

"Time travel. It can happen." The Doctor replied, distracted as more memories of the recent things that occurred slipped through his mind.

"And that's a scanner. You used non-technological technology of the Lammasteen!" Caig shouted, watching as images of the Doctor working on it slid past his mind. This was all so crazy, these people, these sweet, fairly strange people were not who they said they were. Well, the little girl was at least. She hadn't lied to him, not even she knew how important she was to this world yet. She was the same adorable little girl that showed up on his doorstep when they had first met. But the Doctor, well he was a whole different level of crazy. He was a bloody alien from space!

"Shut up!" The Doctor said in annoyance, immediately covering Craig's mouth so he wouldn't let anything else slip. Before the Doctor could say anything to warn Craig of the dangers above them, and why yelling these types of things were a huge no, no he paused looking towards Astrid who was now laughing the day away, watching the two with humany wumany tears trailed down her face.

"I'm glad this entertains you." The Doctor replied, looking at her with a scowl, a tiny smile trying to make an appearance. He had made Astrid laugh! She was just so cute when she laughed, even if it was at his expense. It was so hard to stay mad at her when she was having so much fun! Besides, she deserved this happy moment. She was going to go through hell and back again and be constantly upset, so being happy at least just this once was something she most definitely earned. To be honest the Doctor didn't really find two guys getting in pain funny, but hey Astrid's sense of humor was Astrid's sense of humor for a reason.

"It's just ... It's just that was so much funnier than watching it on television." Astrid admitted, holding her sides as she tried to regain her breathing back from her previous laughing fit. The television had not done this scene justice ... it had been so funny ... even if it had been really painful for the two participants. But being here and seeing it in person just made it seem that much more hilarious.

"What is she talking about? Television?" Craig asked in utter confusion. Why was she talking about television? He wasn't getting pranked was he? Maybe that's why they were acting like he was an alien, maybe it was all a joke? No, you couldn't just fake exchanging memories with someone. That's something only a alien would be able to do. But what did she mean then ... television?

"Just ignore her." The Doctor replied in a very flippant way, taking the bluetooth out of his pocket were he had previously put it and placed it carefully in his ear.

"Oi, I'm not invisible. There I go again, sounding british when I'm angry." Astrid said, sighing as she did. She thought she had solved this problem already! Why did it keep happening to her? She had slapped the Doctor before, to solve this problem for crying out loud! It had even worked for a little while too! But here she was again, being told that she should be ignored. That just made it even worse! The Doctor had purposely told Craig to ignore her, he wasn't just outright ignoring her, now she was telling other people to ignore her too! No ... maybe she was just overreacting ... I mean she had kinda said something that she shouldn't have. Maybe him telling Craig to ignore her was a good thing. After all, she was basically hinting at something that no one except the Doctor, herself, Amy and Rory should ever know. The Doctor wasn't the one at fault here ... She was.

"Amy. Got those plans yet?" The Doctor inquired through the bluetooth awaiting for the amazing Pond to reply to him. He needed help now, it's time to move onto the adventure, the final phase. But the only way to do that would be to have those house plans, then they would know every little part of the house. Every closet, every corner and every hallway down to the very itsy bitsy dust particle. With those plans they would have a HUGE advantage!

"Still searching for them." Amy answered, her eyes skimming a file of information. Why did she always get all the boring jobs ... as if waiting wasn't bad enough, now she had to research a building! Wait ... why would the Doctor need information on a building? Didn't he just know stuff? So if he's asking her to find information on something does that mean that he actually doesn't know everything in the world, because honestly that would really surprise her. The Doctor knew everything about everyone, in fact he was the king of useless information rambles. And on top of that, The Doctor never plans anything, actually, he's mister spontaneous, he's always running into danger and asking questions later, so why is now any different? Why would he need information now?

"I've worked it out, with psychic help from a cat." The Doctor stated with a cheerful smile on his face. This was starting to get interesting, in fact he had it just about figured out. All he needed was the building plans to confirm his hypothesis and then he'd know how to stop whatever threat was residing in the flat above them. He was so close he could just taste the adventure ... though he wasn't quite sure if you could taste adventure, oh whatever. He just knew that he was close, and that would mean that the fun part was coming. The part where everything made sense.

"A cat?" Amy asked in confusion, pausing in her work of finding the information on the building. She knew the Doctor was a strange man, I mean he wore a bowtie and owned a spaceship that seemed to be bigger on the inside for crying out loud! But this was just borderline insane! She could understand simply talking to a cat, because that was of course what most pet owners did. But somehow getting information from a cat and having an actual conversation with it as if it was a human is a different story.

"Yes a cat, now then just so we don't waste time ... Craig the upstairs is a time ship that is trying to use humans as a pilot and it's burning them up, which is what the stain on the ceiling is." Astrid explained in a Doctor sort of way. She didn't know if this would mess up time or not, she hoped for the latter, but you never really knew with these type of things. Time was a delicate thing, and hurting it was not something she wanted to do. She figured that if she was going to be changing big things later on, and she was too scared to do anything at all then she should start out with something small like this. The information that she had told everyone the Doctor would have eventually said anyways ... All she was doing was saying the information a couple of minutes beforehand ... It wouldn't do too much damage ... Hopefully.

"The stain on the ceiling is dead people? That means people are dying up there!" Craig announced in surprise. Not only was his life on the line, now he had to worry about other people dying! And in his flat too! This was too much, he didn't think he could take it any more. All he wanted was to live a normal life with no aliens, or murders, or spaceships hovering above his flat. But this seemed to be his life at the moment, and boy was it nothing how the movies make alien invasions out to be. They made it out to be thrilling and adventurous, and threatening. But it was anything but that. The Doctor was a weird alien, an alien that was no threat whatsoever. And being around him was anything but thrilling, it was stressful, and hard. Long story short, people were dying and he was not happy about it.

"Gold star Craig." Astrid sarcastically answered. Yes, dead people were dying up there ... Isn't that obvious, she had after all just said that. She was getting moody now, this was just annoying. She wanted to go to the scary adventure part, not just stand around talking about the danger. She wanted to go upstairs and stop the jerks that were killing people ... though if she remembers correctly, it wasn't necessarily people that were doing the killing, it had been a hologram on a spaceship. But that didn't mean that she didn't want to stop the ship from killing innocent people. She was going to skip to the part to where they saved Sophie, because oh my god, the quicker she was saved the better. So, yes the stain on the ceiling was dead people, and yes dead people were dying up there ... but soon they wouldn't be because that was exactly why she didn't want to stand around doing nothing.

"So why is the Tardis being affected?" Amy asked the Doctor, pacing around the Tardis as a new thought struck her. What if she never got out of here. She was being stupid ... the Doctor would save those people and bring the Tardis back safely, that's what he does. The Tardis was probably just having a bad reaction to whatever was causing the poor people to burn up and die. An allergy of some sort, that's all. She'd be alright.

"The Tardis is sensitive to time loops." The Doctor explained. It was true, his amazing machine could do many things, but she was old and not even close to new condition. She is a strong old girl, but ever since Astrid showed up, the old girl has been getting allergies, allergies to certain time travel related things, and it has been very not good, not good at all. He knew this just meant that this Astrid would be leaving soon ... that soon Astrid would turn into his Astrid, the person that he knew and loved. But was it really worth it if his Tardis would have to suffer first?

"People are dying up there? People are dying. People are dying. People are dying." Craig said repeatedly. His body frozen, and his eyes not even blinking as yet another time loop overcame the area. A loud crash sounded from upstairs, surprising the two other people in the room, and leading the Doctor to deduce that another person had to be upstairs. This was spiraling out of control!

"Someone's up there." The Doctor said in surprise. In fact he didn't expect another person to be up there so quickly. He wanted more time ... time to figure out who, or what is stealing these people. Why they were luring people up there, maybe even just enough extra time to hang out with Astrid and talk about stuff ... maybe get some fish sticks and custard together. Not like a date though ... nope, just two friends hanging out. But now he wouldn't get to do that at all Oh well, Astrid always did love the dangerous adventure part anyways. They could save the world and then head back to the Tardis and hang out in garden. It wasn't that much of a loss. He'd take saving the universe any day!

"Doctor!" Astrid screamed in surprise, watching as her body started shimmering. The white started to surround her and she didn't like not knowing why, but she enjoyed jumping around like this. The light spread a familiar warmth throughout her body covering her like a blanket making her feel safe and warm. She knew this would happen again! She didn't know why she was disappearing random places, but she liked it. It didn't hurt her at all, which was always a plus, and it was just a transporting thing of some sort. Maybe it was affecting her because she didn't come from this world. That's probably why. But that didn't explain the fact that she had started transporting before this adventure. Her thoughts were that perhaps it was an effect from the killer spaceship ... kinda like how it was affecting the Tardis. Well whatever it was, it was interesting to say the least ... she could end up anywhere in the Doctor Who world, and that was always a fun gamble.

* * *

The light around her faded as she arrived at her destination, the warmth that had once been there leaving as well. She looked around her surroundings, watching as the spaceship that had once looked like the top of a house disappeared without a trace.

"I missed the whole end of the adventure, didn't I." Astrid asked in an annoyed manner. She hadn't left the Doctor to jump anywhere in the Doctor Who universe like last time, no, she had just jumped ahead a few minutes. She had totally missed meeting Sophie before which was bad enough, but now she had missed the best part. She had missed saving the world, and that was something she would never forget. She had failed everyone here by not changing a thing, and it was all her fault. She had basically missed a whole adventure, and all because of herself.

"Yes, yes you did." The Doctor confirmed, watching with sad eyes as Astrid frowned in a disappointed manner. In all honesty he felt really bad for Astrid. She hated missing out on things, especially the young version of her, and missing out on an adventure was something Astrid never liked doing. It wasn't like missing out was her fault either, it was just her ability trying to come in early. He'd make it up to her eventually, she deserved that much.

"She just appeared out of nowhere! How? What did she do?" Craig asked, his voice surprised and confused at the astounding appearance. He knew very little about the Doctor's lifelong companion. But he knew tiny things about her from the Doctor's mind. Like who she was and her favorite color and her favorite food and just tiny bursts of how the Doctor felt about her. He knew that she grew up to be a wonderful person. And finally he knew her names. She was called the goddess of time, the Doctor's long lasting companion, and his only true lover. Craig knew things about her, but not enough to understand how it was physically possible for her to appear out of nowhere. According to physics it shouldn't be able to happen! Who was Astrid Selene, really?

"I'm magical." Astrid exclaimed jokingly. Technically she was kind of magical, well, she was magical here anyways. She had knowledge on this world, knowledge that no one could ever possibly know, and she disappeared and reappeared out of thin air. So she technically could be called magical, but in reality if you actually, really thought about it, she wasn't magical. She had knowledge of this world because of a TV show, and she disappeared places because she had been affected by the killer spaceship just like the Tardis had been. She was simply being sarcastic, since Craig had been so appalled at her reappearance. It was something funny for her to say, not a comment to be taken to heart. She wasn't magical ... she had said it to be sarcastic and nothing more.

"You sure are magical." The Doctor agreed with a smile. She was the most magical person out of anyone he has ever met, and in more ways than one. She was beautiful and smart, and her aura around her was just so bouncy and fun. And her eyes ... oh her eyes were the most magical things of all. They had a sense of magic to them. Something in them that just pulled everyone in. No, she wasn't just magical ... hypnotizing was a better word. She drew people in, the were memorized by her ... people liked her because of her abilities. Then came her ability in general. It was certainly magical to anyone who watched it. It was like a magic show. She was like Houdini but one short kid. She was magic alright and in every sense of the word. If you were to look up the word in a dictionary there was not a doubt in his mind that you'd find a picture of Astrid in place of a definition. She was magical, hypnotising and beautiful. She was his amazing Astrid.

"Right little matchmaker, aren't you? Can't you find me a fellow?" Amy asked, hope laced into her voice. She wanted a boyfriend so bad, ever since she could remember she hadn't had one, and she really really wanted one. Though ... it felt like she was missing something. Everytime she thought of her past, she felt like there was someone missing. But she just can't remember who. Whenever she tried to remember it was like her brain just shut off. Little things she remembered, things like a certain smell, or a certain word. But she never fully remembered. The one thing that was always the same was the overpowering love she felt whenever she remembered ... whoever this person was, she must have loved them ... a lot. Maybe a boyfriend would take her mind off this mysterious person so she could actually get on with life.

"Oh Amy, you don't need a man." Astrid replied, certainty placed thickly in her voice. Amy didn't need a man to rescue her or save the day. She was a woman that was strong, and smart and had her own ideas. She didn't need a man, and she certainly did not need the Doctor fixing her up with somebody. That would just end in disaster, like him trying to set her up with an alien from some planet or another. Besides that she already had a man, she had Rory. It may not seem like it now but Rory would come back, he wasn't gone forever. He was alive and living as a Plastic Roman, and Amy would meet up with him again soon. Amy had a man, and she did not need another one. Rory was nice and kind, and the total opposite of Amy that they just worked. No other man in the whole universe was like that, not this universe or her own. No one was quite as amazing as Rory Williams and they never would be. Rory was Amy's and she would never need another, because no one lived up to Rory. No one did.

"I thought this problem was fixed? Why am I glowing? Doctor, what's going on?" Astrid questioned, watching as the white light started to absorb her yet again today, the warmth spreading through her body like fire. If this wasn't an affect from the spaceship, then what was it?! Was something wrong with her ... or was this like some sort of weird time traveling disease? She needed to know. This was not right, not in the least. She hated not knowing, and if something was wrong with her body she needed to know. Other than that, she didn't care. It was fun, and it caused little to no harm to her. She could travel anywhere, she could travel anywhen, her body was her own space and time machine. She was her own Tardis, and she was going to have fun with it, sickness or not. She didn't know what it was, but to her it was something new. And something new was something everyone could appreciate.

"I guess it's an after affect of the spaceship exploding." The Doctor replied. It wasn't really, but telling her that was the easiest way to explain it. Astrid was still too young to understand the real reasoning behind her bouncing around time and space with the help of a weird white light. She wasn't ready yet ... soon she'd understand, but now was not the time. Now she was confused and young and way too innocent to know the real reason. The Doctor felt terrible keeping something this important from her. He wanted to tell her so much, to hold her and tell her that everything will be alright, but he couldn't. She found out when she was older. It was a huge fixed point in time, and it was something that no one, not even he could change. She was who she was because of that one moment in time, and changing that could mean anything from her dying, to the universe exploding. Long story short, she's special and messing with her timeline meant serious consequences for the universe. So for now he had to keep her in the dark. For now he had to lie to her.

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you soon." Astrid called out, waving at the pair. The Doctor had never lied to her ... not that she knew of, so why did he sound guilty as if he had in fact done exactly that. Why had he sounded so upset, when she had asked something so simple? Nevermind that, she was about to head off to anytime and anywhere in the Doctor Who world and she was busy figuring out why the Doctor sounded sad. Maybe he was just upset, Astrid was being an idiot, trying to care about other people. Caring was not an advantage. Anyways, he may have just sounded sad to her, it didn't matter. Life was life, it went on. The Doctor would be fine. So then why did she feel bad for leaving him. She couldn't just not leave, she wasn't even in control of her own body! She was leaving, and she would stop thinking about the Doctor's feelings. She was going to enjoy herself wherever she went and get her mind off the silly Timelord. This was her alone time, and she was going to use it.

"Don't get into any trouble!" Amy called to the disappearing girl. Knowing Astrid there was little to no chance of that happening. She was a troublemaker at heart. At least, that's what the Doctor had told her about the older version of her. She loved causing trouble and trouble loved following her around, that's how the Doctor had described it after all. Amy wished whoever Astrid met next luck because she was going to wreck havoc, and with that Amy was positive.

"Oh, Amy you should know me better than that." Astrid replied, winking at the ginge as she did. Astrid was always getting into trouble ... she was a natural disaster magnant. Wherever she went trouble followed after her. And what's more, she enjoyed it! Misbehaving was fun, and getting caught by an audience was even better. She was ready for some serious fun.

The white captured her, setting her in a different place and a different time period. The warmth overpowering her body to the point where it felt like she was stuck in a desert. It wore off, the light slowly dying down as well to the point where she could see her surroundings. She looked around to see that she was in what appeared to be a futuristic art room in some spaceship of some kind. In fact that's exactly what it was to Astrid, it looked just like Queen Liz the tenth's spaceship ... which meant only one thing. The Pandorica was going to open today. Rory was going to come back. It was time to have some fun!


	14. Ch 14: The Pandorica Opens Pt 1

It was an amazing month of traveling with the Doctor, no more than that it was fantastic! The Doctor had taken her to see so many different planets and worlds, and every single time it had been simply paradise. From the alien encounters, to the sights, and even the running! But one thing was always missing, one thing that kept everything just the tiniest bit gloomier… Astrid. She hadn't showed up once throughout any of their travels, not even for a second. And it was driving Amy crazy! Was Astrid alright? Where did she disappear off to? Was she hurt again? Did her wound reopen? There was just so many possibilities. So many things that could have gone wrong without them there. In fact, she could even be dead for all Amy knew! And what's worse is that the Doctor seemed to be the mellow one about this! He wasn't whining for her to come back, or complaining about not seeing her for so long like he normally did, in fact it was as though he didn't even care for crying out loud! He just jumped from adventure to adventure not even taking a break to stop and see if she was alright. Actually, right this second they were zooming off in the TARDIS and they had just gotten back from destroying a ship full of cyberman. It was just non stop running with him. He didn't even give her five minutes to eat a snack or anything, he just put in our next destination and off we flew. All she wanted was five minutes! Just five minutes to eat something or rest her eyes. But no, she couldn't … the Doctor wouldn't possibly allow it. And she was so not going to ask him to give her a break. She couldn't possibly tell him to stop. After all, she knew, no matter how much she tried to deny it that this was a distraction for the Doctor. A never ending distraction that would take his mind off the fact that Astrid was missing. And unfortunately it meant that she got dragged into the distraction, whether she asked for it or not.

"I can't believe I've never thought of this before! It's genius. Right. Landed. Come on." The Doctor said in a fast manner, as he took the time to push a few buttons and pull a couple of levers to slow the old girl down. To be honest he had no clue what he was doing, in fact he was only rushing about like this because he was worried. He was so frantic, and on edge and keeping himself busy was the only way to stop that. To stop him from breaking down. All because of her … all because of Astrid. She hadn't appeared back here in forever! Well, no … technically she was gone for only a month … but that was still forever to him. Forever was a really long time, and trust me he checked. But the point still stands … He missed her. He missed her so badly. Astrid was his life support, she brought him happiness, got his hearts beating, and got his blood pumping. And being without her, well, it was like dying a million deaths. Astrid was his breath, his oxygen like he was unable to breathe without her then when she was around … bam … he could breathe again. Well, sort of. Actually no, seeing her made him breathless, and then all the kissing and stuff really took a toll on his respiratory system. Well, it was all quite complicated humany stuff. But the point was, he needed her. He needed her here with him, now. Without her he was a mess, going from one place to another without giving poor Amy a chance to rest. He was dragging her along everywhere, and to be perfectly honest he felt very guilty about it. She was a human, a strong brave human, but a human nonetheless. A human that needed rest and food just like every other homo sapien on the planet, and he was depriving that from her. Just like now actually.

"Where are we?" Amy asked, giving the Doctor a curious glance. Cutting his thought process sharply off, as she turned towards the door, tiredly, awaiting the next adventure.

"Planet One. The oldest planet in the universe. There's a cliff of pure diamond, and according to legend, on the cliff there's writing. Letters fifty feet high. A message from the dawn of time And no one knows what it says, because no one's ever translated it. Well, not until today at least." The Doctor replied, walking towards Amy. Yes, this was the perfect idea. It was an Astrid Selene worthy idea … if she were here at least. She always loved mysteries, and this was definitely a mystery. A big mystery, a mystery that _he_ would finally solve … without … without her. Today he would make history … well, not really. You couldn't actually create history, history was already a thing. Well he did make history … but it's complicated and it certainly wasn't now. Now they get to see something that no one had ever seen before. Something Astrid would never get to see, not with him, today in this single moment of time. Today they'd solve the mystery of Planet One.

"What happens today?" Amy questioned, bouncing on her toes trying to once again awaken herself with adrenaline. She was so exhausted, so completely and utterly tuckered out. But what could she do? She had to help the Doctor, to keep him distracted. To keep him from upsetting himself with Astrid's disappearance. And to do that she had to stay awake. To keep the Doctor occupied, to give him someone to explain to, to show things to. Someone to keep her raggedy man smiling, and that someone was her. She had to ask questions, to ask where we were, or what was going to happen. Because that was exactly what Astrid would do. Well, younger Astrid … at least she thought so.

"Us. The Tardis can translate anything. All we have to do is open the doors and read the very first words in recorded history." The Doctor answered, pulling open the door and reading the now translated cliff in awe.

 **Hello, Sweetie. Hello, Ames.**

"So I'm guessing Astrid was here." Amy stated, looking at the writing on the cliff in shock. She kinda expected Astrid to show up soon. But she never in a million years thought that Astrid … Younger, innocent Astrid would really show up in such a dramatic and historic way. It was just such a Astrid thing to say. She always called her Ames, and from what she had seen, the older version of Astrid most definitely called the Doctor Sweetie. Which plainly meant one thing, if Astrid was well enough to go back in time and send them a message via cliff writing, she was most definitely safe and not injured or dead like Amy had originally thought which eased her worries very much. Astrid was back. Astrid was here.

"Yes, she rather was. And I have a feeling she needs us." The Doctor replied, staring at the cliff with a large smile on his face. Astrid was safe. She was actually properly safe! Oh, this was christmas. After months of trying to distract himself from her absence she was finally back, and she had certainly come back with a bang! How dramatic of her … writing on a cliff to get his attention. It was just so flattering, and to call him Sweetie like her older self … oh my gallifrey! It just made his heart leap with glee. It just showed how close she was to becoming his Astrid Selene. He could feel it in his hearts, it didn't feel as far off as it once did. Soon she would be here. Older Astrid. Astrid Selene. Which both saddened him and gave him joy, because not only would it mean the innocence of her younger self going away and the road of pain and destruction coming ever so closer to her, it also meant that he would finally get to show affection towards her, he would get to kiss her, to love her, and show her that she was appreciated. Soon she would get to be a part of her world in a way she was never before. And now, here her younger self was showing him a part of her older self. The loving side, the teasing side, the flirty side, the dramatic side that would do anything to get into contact with the man she loved. She was a part of the oldest mystery ever, the biggest mystery Planet One had ever encountered. She was a part of a mystery, she was a mystery, a beautiful mystery. Oh! he just couldn't wait to see her again, he missed her so much. So very much, so so much that he was not going to spend a second without her. He rushed back inside the TARDIS, a very hesitant Amy following him inside, watching as he quickly putting in the coordinates that accompanied the message, waiting not a moment longer to see his precious Astrid once again.

"That's a Roman Legion." Amy stated, as they both left the TARDIS, looking down at the roman camp that stood below them. Oh my gosh! She was in Rome! Rome! A place with hot Italians. Now this was certainly her kind of place. Maybe she could even find herself a boyfriend, a hot, sexy, Roman boyfriend. With eyes as blue as the sky and hair so dusty yellow it's almost brown. Yeah, that's what she liked. She could almost picture it. Her and her new man. A and R. Her idiot, her Roman.

"Well, yeah. The Romans invaded Britain several times during this period." The Doctor explained, looking down at the romans milling around in curiosity. Why did Astrid bring them here … she always avoided coming anywhere near this time period … when she was older at least. And there was no way she could have possibly showed up here without him. It was close to impossible. She wasn't strong enough to survive a journey like that, just yet. Was she even here? Her younger self? Or was she missing still and an older version of herself had sent us on a random journey again? It just didn't make any sense. Not one bit! Which Astrid was it and why? Before he could think much on it a soldier ran up to the pair of them, saluting them both with a smile on his face.

"Hail, Caesar. Welcome to Britain. We are honoured by your presence." The soldier stated, looking at the man that his queens had told him about. He kneeled, in an act of respect, not even daring to look the Doctor in the eye. After a lengthy bout of silence he stood, looking towards Amelia. With an excited grin on his face he bowed his head respectfully and kissed her hand kindly, acting on what the younger royal had told him before sending him off on his journey.

"It is an pleasure to meet you Empress Amelia. We were excited to hear you were coming." The man said, looking up at the pair. They were just as the queens had described: A man with stupid hair, and a face of a child and a beautiful empress with hair the color of fire. He was so happy to finally meet them. It was like he was surrounded by royalty. Not to mention, he just felt so very honored, that he out of any soldier in the legion was the one given such a quest to. It meant he was important, special and that just made him feel so joyous.

"Well, you're only human. Arise, Roman person." The Doctor stated, helping the man stand, playing along with the little charade. This just had such an Astrid scent to it. She was here, no doubt about that. Only she would feel the need to pretend to be a queen to infiltrate a Roman Legion at the height of its power.

"Why does he think you're Caesar and I'm an empress?" Amy whispered, trying not to let the guy hear her. I mean, she really liked being called an empress, and being kissed by a roman, even if just on the hand. But why did he think such a thing? Surely he has met the cesar before? And he couldn't simply believe she was an empress just like that, so why did he think so?

"Cleopatra and Cleopatra Selene II will see you now." The man stated, turning so the Doctor could clearly see the smear of ruby red lipstick on his cheek. River. It all made sense now. She had transported to River and they had set this whole thing up together. It was like their friendship had never changed, still interfering with historic events for their own amusement. Even if Astrid was still a child and not yet an adult, nothing seemed to change. And now here they were, going to see them both together. He didn't know if he should be happy or scared. Scared because whenever River and Astrid were together disaster always seemed to come with them. But then happy because he'd finally be able to see Astrid again after so long. He wouldn't have to constantly worry about her, or try to distract himself so he would stop thinking about her. He would get to see her in the flesh. After a month of waiting he'd get to hear her. Her beautiful, beautiful voice that sent shivers down his spine. He'd get to see her. And after a month he'd finally get to talk to her once again. He wouldn't be lonely anymore, because finally Astrid was back, and she was better than ever.

After a not so long walk from the top of the hill they had been standing on previously they had finally made it down to the small camp they had been looking at. From up there it had seemed so tiny, so plainly insignificant. But now … it just seemed so large standing right in the middle of it. They walked up to a large tent that seemed much more nicer compared to the rest. A tent that seemed to be fit for someone of importance, someone such as a queen. The pair entered the tent, taking in the beautiful art littered around the room from the golden vases, to the silver trimmings, it was just so beautiful. The Doctor looked around, his eyes darting to and fro, until there, in the center of the room he spotted it. The source of trouble themselves. River and Astrid were sitting there, right on the table, ignoring the wooden benches entirely, both in roman garments feeding one another grapes.

"Hello, sweetie." River stated, both her and Astrid turning to look at them both. Giving a knowing smirk as she watched the Doctor gulp as he stared the younger Astrid down. She had known when she had picked that turquoise toga for the girl she was doing that man a favor. It was just perfect for Astrid, it was simple and loose, yet it was the perfect color to bring out the green in her hazel eyes. It made the girl seem like a goddess, and it made the Doctor as stupid as usual when it came to being around Astrid.

"Sup, Ames!" The young girl stated jumping up from off the table and rushing over to give her a gigantic hug. She was just so excited to finally see Amy and the Doctor again! It had been weeks. Not that those weeks were bad, not one bit, she actually had loads of fun with River. In fact she never wanted the fun with River to end. It's just … well, she missed Ames and the Doctor. She missed them so much. And now, here they were!

"River. Astrid. Hi." Amy replied, laughing at the young girl's antics. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss Astrid, because honestly it had felt like years since she'd seen her last. In fact, so much so that the feeling of having lost something had disappeared completely replaced by worry. Yeah, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she was missing something, and sometimes she still got an overwhelming sense of depression. But once Astrid left, well her priorities had changed. She didn't understand why she felt sad, or this sense of loss … but seeing Astrid gone for so long, made it just seem insignificant to her. Now though … now Astrid was back, and it made everything just the tiniest bit happier.

"You lot graffitied the oldest cliff face in the universe." The Doctor spoke up, looking at the pair as if he were reprimanding them. To be honest, he should have expected this, this was Astrid we were talking about. She obviously wanted to get my attention, but why? Nothing seemed to be on fire, or surrounded by aliens. And River wouldn't allow her to contact him in such a way unless something horrible was taking place. So why had she contacted him?

"You wouldn't answer your phone." Astrid defended, giving him a smirk. She had after all bought him a phone and given it to him specifically so she could keep into contact with him. And the one time he actually needs him and tries to contact the man he goes and ignores all sixty calls and twenty texts, as if he couldn't be bothered. So River decided to get his attention by defacing the oldest cliff in the world knowing that he'd get curious enough to check it out. And it looks like she was right. Because of course, nothing gets the Doctor's attention more than one of the oldest mysteries in the universe.

She went over to a potted plant, pushing the leaves aside to grab the painting that Liz ten had entrusted her with after she had told her her name. Apparently Astrid was a legend there too, like the Doctor. She called her the savior of the universe. She didn't know how or why, but she was … oddly enough. Which was quite the surprise for her because she was certainly nothing special or unique or important. She was just an American teenager that for some reason got stuck in their favorite television show. Nothing more. She didn't save worlds and she certainly wouldn't save any universes. She shook her head, coming back to reality as she walked back over to the rest of them and handed it over to the Doctor.

"What is this?" He asked, confused as to why Astrid had given him a rolled up piece of paper. It didn't make sense. Is this why they had brought him here? Why was paper so important?

"It's a painting. Your friend Vincent. One of his final works. He had visions, didn't he? We thought you ought to know about this." River stated, giving him a solemn look. It wasn't like she could hide this information from him, he had to know, even if the painting wasn't to be taken literally. He unrolled the painting, staring down at what seemed to be starry night but with the TARDIS exploding right in the middle of it. The Doctor stared at it, his eyes calculating as he tried to figure out why Vincent had painted such a thing. It made no sense.

"Why is it exploding?" Amy questioned, her eyes widening in fear. Was the TARDIS going to explode? Did it already explode? Was she going to be stranded here forever? Not that she was complaining, it WAS after all a roman legion with loads of hot italians. She had no problem with staying here and settling down with a hot Roman and having loads of hot Roman little babies. She was just … concerned. Yeah, concerned. Because without the TARDIS the Doctor had no home and Astrid … well, she could very well die. Maybe. Possibly. She was pretty sure she heard the Doctor explain something about how future Astrid was connected to the TARDIS and the TARDIS was kinda like blood in her veins or something weird like that. Amy didn't know, it was all so confusing. Apparently the TARDIS was gonna explode according to Vincent, and quite honestly she didn't know what to think.

"It's a warning. Or at least that's what me and River have gathered from it." Astrid answered, shrugging her shoulders. Yes, she did actually know how literal the painting was and just how serious this was going to become. But she couldn't tell him that. She couldn't tell the Doctor anything and it was slowly killing her inside. She wanted to tell him, to warn him, to scream it as loud as she could and avoid this whole thing! But she couldn't because it was a fixed point, it had to be. This was how the Doctor would bring Amy's parents back, and bring Rory back, and how he would save the whole universe from time itself. If the Doctor didn't go through all of today none of that would happen. Amy wouldn't talk with the Doctor which wouldn't bring back her parents, Rory would forever be a plastic Roman forced to kill people with his hand gun, and the universe would collapse from the cracks in time. She had to keep quiet. And that made today the worst day ever. She couldn't protect the Doctor, or Amy, or any of them. And if anything … anything went wrong it would be all her fault.

"Does it have a title?" The Doctor asked, looking towards the younger Astrid with a slight fear in his eyes. He had seen that sparkle in her eye, that sliver of doubt plaguing her mind. She knew what was going on. Of course she did, this was Astrid we were talking about. The beautiful brilliant amazing Astrid. She knew everything. Well … not everything, more like almost everything. Everything having to do with him at least. Him and his wonderful companions. And for some reason she knew something now, something that she feared. Something that it seemed she wanted to change but she was holding herself back. Maybe it had to do with this painting, maybe not. But she wanted to change something, and that was never a good thing. Because that meant that something bad was going to happen. Whether the TARDIS was going to explode or not.

"The Pandorica Opens." Astrid said, closing her eyes in pain as images of today's activities passed through her mind. All of the suffering. All of the pain. All of the hurt. Today the Doctor would break. Rory would kill. Amy would die. And River, brave, amazing River would be trapped in an exploding TARDIS suffering through the same moment in time over and over again. The world was going to end, and she was not ready. Not one bit. She could face a million salt shaker Daleks or be attacked by a billion killer C-3PO's but she was not ready to face the end of time itself. She was not ready to face the Pandorica.

"The Pandorica? What is it?" Amy asked, curious. That name sounded familiar almost like she had heard of it before. Pandorica, pandorica, pandorica … oh where did she hear that before! She looked around her mind continuing to try to figure out where exactly she had heard that, until finally her eyes landed on the source itself. Astrid. Astrid Selene. Older Astrid. The last time Amy had met her she had warned her about the Pandorica. She had told her that it would be dangerous, but in the end everything be okay. She had told her that in the end she would get everything she could ever hope for all she had to do was remember. She had questioned the woman, begging her to tell her what she meant by remembering, but she never told her. She just smiled a weak smile and told the girl that it was up to her. Up to the great Amelia Pond. She may not know what this day held for her, or if they would survive, or even what this Pandorica thing held. But apparently it would all come down to her.

"A box, a cage, a prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe." River explained, staring at the box in curiosity. Astrid, older Astrid at least, had warned her about today. She had told her that that box held nothing but trouble, and to be honest she was right, her heart just clenched in fear, as if her body just knew that today was going to be dangerous and so, so, so very horrible and she had a bad feeling that it had everything to do with this stupid box. The stupid Pandorica.

"And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real." The Doctor stated, rolling his eyes at the group. It wasn't real. Not at all. It was just a story that older Astrid told to Sc- … um, people she knew. To be perfectly honest, he thought she had just made it up like the rest of her stories. Well … almost the rest of her stories. Some of them were retellings of our adventures. But most of the time they were just stories she had made up. She thought the Pandorica was fake. Just something Astrid had created. A figment of her imagination.

"At least that's what you think." Astrid said, a small smile resting on her face. He was wrong. It was real, so very real. More than just a fairytale or legend could ever be. It was what would break the universe and then seal it back together. It was what would take the Doctor and hold him, breaking him as he tried to fight to save the universe. It was hell, it was danger. It was very nearly her worst nightmare because it took the Doctor away from the rest of the universe, and although brief was very scary and upsetting for her. The pandorica was definitely real, she could certainly attest to that.

"If it is real, it's here and it's opening, and it's got something to do with your Tardis exploding. Hidden, obviously. Buried for centuries. You won't find it on a map." River explained, watching as the Doctor pulled out a map from one of his many pockets. It just wouldn't work, she was sure of it. There was just no way you'd be able to find such a thing on any kind of map. It wasn't like they made a map that said 'Pandorica Here.' It was a piece of history that most told as a story, as whispers through the generations. If it was real, it was hidden, well hidden, and not in plain sight, not on any silly old map.

"No, but if you buried the most dangerous thing in the universe, you'd want to remember where you put it." The Doctor replied, smirking at River, knowing that she was very much mistaken. Every time that Astrid had told that story, every time she had explained it too … those people she knew, she always, always said the same thing. The Pandorica was a big box and something that big and that important needed to have something to show where it was hidden so the people that hid it would never forget. That being said that 'something' that told them where the Pandorica was smack dab on a map. It had to be! How else would the people that hid it remember where they put the thing?! It was on a map, no doubt about that, and luckily he had a map specifically of this area!

"But where's the x marks the spot?" Astrid questioned, watching as the Doctor's eyes wandered over the map. She never understood how he was working this out or what made him figure it out, but for some reason he was closer to figuring it out then he had been on her show in her universe. He was quicker, and quicker was good. Very good. It just meant everyone would know where the Pandorica was buried faster which would help them get there quicker which may just help them open the Stonehenge, which could lead to this adventure being over much quicker. That is, if the Doctor figured out the x marks the spot in the next few seconds.

"How about here." He said, pointing right at Stonehenge with a giant smile on his face. Thank god for Astrid's storytime, if not for those stories of hers he would have never figured out where the Pandorica was supposedly hidden. He would have never guessed that Stonehenge was the great big x marks the spot, it wouldn't have even crossed his mind. But she had told those stories, and he had been there, listening. And that had helped tremendously so. Perhaps her younger self had felt bad for not being able to help more, perhaps her older self wanted to help to make sure she made up for not helping. Either way, his amazing Astrid had helped yet again! She had made a difference, a huge difference and even if she wouldn't know right now, he was proud of her, very proud of her and would definitely tell her next time he saw her. For now it was time for an adventure, a great big adventure with River and Astrid present, which definitely meant there would be danger ahead. But he was ready, very ready. The Pandorica has or will open and Astrid's story has become reality. It was time to be the hero, to solve the problem and save the day, and maybe just maybe figure out the mystery of one of the Universe's greatest legends. The legend of the Pandorica.


	15. Ch 15: The Pandorica Opens Pt 2

They were riding through the desert, the wind flowing around them, weaving through Astrid's hand as she held it out to the cold breeze. She closed her eyes, her hair caressing her face as they sped through the moving scenery. This was peace. Sitting on a majestic animal, as River led the creature to where they wanted to go, the world turning around them. This was the calm before the storm. The air calming her like an old friend. She felt happy, like nothing could ever stop her, like she finally had power. In this moment right now, she wasn't a weak child worth nothing, she was so much more. She was strong, she was meant to be here. She was worth something, and that made her happier than anything. She tossed her other arm out, her arms lifting in the wind, almost as though she were flying. And to her, she was. She was floating through the wind like a bird, free from the horrors of the universe. She was a feather floating everywhere and anywhere, no destination set, just free falling through the stratosphere. Not a girl with no life or adventure stuck in her old world, or a child stuck in a world not her own. Just a feather. A feather with no feelings, or emotions, or dreams. A feather free to just … be. To never make mistakes, or cause pain, or see all of the hateful things this universe had to offer. In this moment she was just there. And it felt wonderful. So completely wonderful. And like all other wonderful things, it too had to stop. They had made it to their destination. They had made it to Stonehenge. No more free floating in the wind. No more flying, just content with being there. The wind had long stopped and it no longer flowed around her like wings lifting her up, taking her away from this world. She had to snap back to reality. She was a child, a girl, Astrid Selene and she was worried. Worried about what was to come. She stared at Stonehenge, almost glaring at it as she remembered what would happen all because of the stupid landmark.

"How come it's not new?" Amy questioned, looking at Stonehenge as well, except with a more curious look. She could have sworn Stonehenge would have been relatively new during this time period. It was after all built around this time, or at least, that's what she had learned. So why did it look so old and worn down?

"Because it's already old. It's been here thousands of years. No one knows exactly how long." River explained. It just didn't make much sense, it was old, so old, in fact history accounts have said that Stonehenge had existed since the beginning of time, which was an anomaly. Technically it shouldn't even exist, yet it did. She had done loads of research on the subject, trying to find out more about the landmark, but she never figured out anything, she didn't know who had made it, there was never an account, never anything, not in any book or story ever told. There just wasn't a creator, which made Stonehenge that much more dangerous. Everything had a creator, every single thing in the universe did. So the question was, who created Stonehenge? Logically speaking, it had to have been created for the purpose of hiding the Pandorica, if such a thing existed. Which means that whoever created the Pandorica knew what was hidden inside. The danger that they knew nothing about. Then again, it was much more fun not knowing the danger you would be thrown into. It made it interesting. It was fun to beat on your life, to wonder if you were going to make it out alive. To live life by the skin of your teeth. Danger was just the less secure version of safety. It was not knowing what would happen next. It was getting a few bumps and scrapes knowing you at least had fun. And that was most certainly today. The Pandorica was a dangerous mystery, a mystery that would probably be life threatening, but fun nonetheless, for that she was sure.

"Okay, this Pandorica thing. Last time we saw you, you two warned us about it, after we climbed out of the Byzantium." Amy said, aiming the comment towards River and Astrid. She knew it had technically been the older version of Astrid that had warned her along with River, and not this younger version of her, yet she still had to tell her. She needed to see if either of them would let more slip, to tell them of what is to come. Maybe even, for younger Astrid to tell her how bad the day would be like her older self sometimes did. Perhaps, they just needed a reminder that they had warned her, a reminder so they would know she had already lived through that so they could tell her the information she so desperately desired.

"Spoilers." River announced, a small smile on her face, as she glanced at Amy. She knew she hadn't been there yet, and she most certainly knew that Astrid was too young to have been there herself. Neither of them had warned Amy yet, it would have been impossible for her to since she knew nothing about this adventure … not yet anyways. That was still all to come. All of the danger she could feel coming closer and closer, the bad feeling of something waiting to happen, and of course the running, the neverending running that came with traveling with the Doctor and Astrid. Amy was just so young, so very young that she didn't know that yet. She didn't know how messed up her life was, or how even more messed up Astrid's timeline was. Their lives were insane, messed up from time, lives they never asked for yet wouldn't give up for the whole universe. Every adventure took her further and further away from the Doctors that knew her, and took Astrid closer and closer to the life she deserved. If what Amy said was true, which she had no doubt that it was, the information had been given to her in Amy's past, that being said, because it was a Doctor that unfortunately knew her even less and was closer to Astrid's better life it meant that it didn't happen for her and Astrid yet. Amy had simply let a spoiler slip. A small spoiler of their future endeavors together.

"Ooh I've always loved that word! Just the way you say it is so … fun! I'm gonna use that more often." Astrid explained, a giddy smile on her face. In her universe she had always loved the way River had said Spoiler, she just made it sound so mysterious and dare she say it, sexy. It was one of the reasons she admired River so much, she was just so amazingly dangerous and sexy. She was a strong woman that knew no bounds and she knew how to get what she wanted exactly when she wanted it. She had so many powers within her, so many strengths that it just made her an amazing person. Hell, she could make the Doctor shut up with just one word. Spoiler. It was such a great word, a word that only River had the power to wield and a word that she wanted to use. It was a word that held hope and mystery and danger all rolled into one. It was a word that she hoped she would one day bring justice to.

"Thanks sweetie! You can use it as much as you'd like." River exclaimed, a smirk overtaking her lips. She knew from older Astrid just how much River had impacted her life as a child, just as Astrid herself had once impacted her life as a child as well. She knew how the young girl standing in front of her admired her just like she had once admired Astrid. Right here, right now, she was helping to mold Astrid, to help her become the strong, powerful, independent woman River knew her to be in the future. And Spoilers, spoilers was her first step towards that woman.

"I should have known you of all people were the one to start Astrid on the whole 'spoilers' thing!" The Doctor whined. It was obvious really, after all, it was something River did say a lot. After all, she did have a pretty messed up timeline … not as messed up a timeline as Astrid of course … just a bit less timey wimey, but wibbly wobbly all the same. So, she probably, almost definitely, usually knew more than he did aka spoilers. Big fat, annoying spoilers! It always bothered him whenever Astrid couldn't tell him something, whenever she just told him spoilers … it was too mysterious. And not the yay, fun, time to explore kind of mysteries, the dangerous, random, you don't know if or when you'll figure me out kind of mystery. It was stupid! Stupid spoilers, and stupid River for teaching her stupid spoilers. Stupid, stupid, blah spoilers!

"Well, technically she started me on the whole 'spoilers thing' as you like to call it, but then again that in itself is a conversation from another time and for another time." River replied, going back to sonicing the rocks, trying not to dwell too much on the past. Yes, she had just taught Astrid that word, a word she would use in her future to torment the Doctor to no end. But Astrid had taught her that word first, when River had been younger and scared, and running from her nightmares. Astrid had been there, been there to protect her and keep her safe, and calm her nerves. Astrid had told she would be okay in the future, that in the end she would be a fantastic person. River had begged Astrid, pleaded with her to come with her to be the family she always wanted but Astrid had told her no. She couldn't, and when she had asked her why the woman had told her spoilers, a word that had stuck with her since she was a child. All because Astrid had taught her the word. Her saving grace. So now, here they were, a never ending loop of who taught who that word first. A time loop of strange proportions. A time loop of spoilers, and she couldn't be happier.

"At least you weren't the one to start her on hitting me. When I find out who started the hitting they will be in for a stern talking to." The Doctor said, trying to be cross. Right now, right here Astrid was a blank slate, sure she had a personality and her thoughts and emotions, but she was moldable. She was a child that could be so easily influenced, so easily taught. And that meant that anyone could mold her. She knew that a lot of the companions, her friends had very much influenced her, created her to become the woman she would later be. His Astrid. She didn't mind some things such as her nicknames, or her personality, oh no, he wouldn't change those for the world. But some things, things like the constant punches and hitting and the teasing, those really got on his nerves. Who ever Astrid had seen doing these things gave her that idea, and that idea was really not a good one. Not one bit! He looked at Astrid, watching as she smiled holding her hand to her mouth as though she were trying not to laugh, and not more than a second later she broke, holding her stomach as laughs wracked her body. He stood there a small smile on his face, wondering why she had found his complaining so hilarious.

"What, what's so funny?" He asked, trying to figure out what she had seen that could have possibly caused this kind of reaction from her. Not that he minded, after all he did like hearing her laugh, and in knowing it had been him that had made her younger self laugh … well, that just brightened up his whole day! He never saw her laugh much. It was just so fun seeing her so happy! Even if he didn't know how he had done it.

"Spoilers." Astrid proclaimed, looking at him with a huge smile. She had a feeling she knew exactly who had influenced her into hitting the timelord. After all, Amy did seem to hit him a lot for acting dumb. The Pond had sass, sass that she could see herself having in the future. Sass that she could potentially use to copy the Pond and slap the Doctor senseless. Oh her future sounded so fun! She couldn't wait!

"That bloody word again." The Doctor whined, rolling his eyes at the young girl. Knowing Astrid she probably knew who had made her hit him before she even hit him. It was just so completely her, with her all knowing knowledge and the TV show she had claimed this universe to have been back in her world. She knew everything before it happened, every monster they would ever face, every word they would ever say, every adventure they'd ever go on … well, to an extent at least. This universe was not the same as the show she had watched in her world. There was one thing she would never, ever see coming, one timeline that she would never know about no matter how hard she tried. Herself. She would never be able to predict what her own timeline had to offer, she would never be able to see what monsters she would face, or what adventures they would share together. Astrid Selene would never be able to predict just how much he loved her, she had all of that yet to discover, and that was perhaps the best gift the universe had ever given him.

"Doctor, stop complaining and help me, I'm picking up fry particles everywhere. Energy weapons discharged on this site." River stated, the device in her hand beeping as she glared down the timelord trying to snap him out of his thoughts. She knew he was thinking about Astrid, well, a future Astrid from the looks of his googly eyes and goofy smile. But he needed to stop. Not only was that dangerous, as there was a very young version of Astrid right here, right now that knew nothing about her future with the Doctor, they were also very busy at this particular moment trying to track down a dangerous box that was opening without them there to stop it.

"If the Pandorica is here, it contains the mightiest warrior in history. Now, half the galaxy would want a piece of that. Maybe even fight over it. We need to get down there." The Doctor said, whipping out his sonic screwdriver and scanning some nearby stones. He needed to focus, to stop thinking about the adventures yet to come for Astrid, and the things that she had yet to learn. No more thinking about her. He had a Pandorica to find. Thinking about his future love is not the appropriate thing to do right now. No. Bad Doctor. Time to save the world Doctor. The universe is counting on you Doctor. He could do this, he just needed to not think, and everything would be A-okay! Right? Right! He was the Doctor and it was time to save the world from a box that shouldn't be real.

After hours of sitting on a damn rock she was done. D. O. N. E. Done, with waiting around and doing nothing to help. She just felt so helpless, like a weak little kid with nothing better to do. Yes, The Doctor had a sonic screwdriver, and yes, River had a cool device, but she had her brains and her all knowing knowledge on all things Doctor Who. She had seen the episode 'The Pandorica Opens' more then ten times and she knew exactly what to do. No more waiting, no more slow route, waiting for the time when the Doctor and River would figure it out themselves. It was time for a damn spoiler, because seriously, this was getting very annoying very fast.

"I can't take this anymore." She stated, grabbing the Doctor's sonic screwdriver from his hands. She was not waiting anymore, no way. She was going to make a difference whether it blew a hole in the time space continuum or not. Waiting was boring, and she would not be waiting another moment. Not at all.

"River, device please." She stated holding out her other hand awaiting the machine that would complete her plan. She knew that River was clever, very clever, and trying to steal things from her was never a good idea. All she would do is make a complete fool of whoever was trying to steal from her, unlike the Doctor who didn't watch half the things that was going on and wouldn't even know if you stole from him.

"I'm assuming you have an idea to open up the underhedge?" River questioned, a small smile forming on her face as she handed over her device. This was so very older Astrid. The impatient Astrid, the one that got what she wanted when she wanted it because she made things happen. She was clever for a child, a girl that understood her way around a sonic better than even the Doctor. Astrid was the one with the backup plans, the plans that worked better and ultimately saved more people, the plans that River herself trusted more than anything the Doctor could offer up. This was older Astrid leaking through, the future of herself guiding her to be the person she will soon become, and it was marvelous.

"Oh, yes. Backup plan B. It'll take five seconds, no effort, and it will get us down to the underhedge in record timing." Astrid proclaimed, placing pieces of Rivers device on the corner on each of the fifteen large stones creating the iconic landmark. All of her friends always told her that watching the same show over and over again did nothing for you, well look at her now! She was making this move along much faster and in the end she was making some sort of effort in helping save the universe! Not too shabby if she does say so herself.

"So, why did you have to take my sonic screwdriver?" The Doctor asked, confused. He knew that she was going to use the pieces of River's sonic device to create a sort of key to unlock the door, but why did she take his sonic? Yes, she didn't exactly have her own sonic screwdriver because of timey wimey timelines and such … but still, did she have to use his?

"Well, you probably already know that the pieces of River's machine creates a key of sorts linking together all of the stones as one. This key is blank, kind of like a piece of metal waiting to be molded into a specific shape, and your sonic screwdriver is the mold that said metal will use to create the specific key that will go to stonehenge's specific lock. So all I would have to do, is say, send a beam at one of the stones and the key will be transported to all of Stonehenge." Astrid replied, giving one of the stones a scan with the sonic. She had no idea how she had understood any of that. Not at all, and it kinda scared her. The fact that she somehow understood how sonic devices, machines that she should never know the inner workings of, worked. Not just that, but she had previously had had problems with her body, strange aching of her bones and muscles, and the burning that seemed to take her blood by storm. Not to mention the headaches, the awful headaches that would plague her mind at night. She hadn't had burning in a while or aching, or anything like that as of late. But it all seemed to be connected. All of it. Something strange was happening to her, something very not good, something that she feared would hurt her in a drastic way if it wasn't healed soon. Something was different … off about her, and that something would have to wait. It was a mystery for another day. A day when they weren't fighting monsters, a day where she actually had the courage to speak to the Doctor about what was happening to her. And that day was not now.

"That's amazing, Astrid!" The Doctor exclaimed, giving the girl a giant hug, swinging her around. He was so proud of her, so completely proud, and awed, can't forget awed! She was brilliant even from such a young age! It was incredible! He knew that it wasn't all her though, it was some of her older self coming through. She was quick and clever, clever and quick, and she used her skills and her all knowing power to move things along. It was awesomely awesome! Oh, she was incredible!

"Thanks, I don't think it was that good. I just sorta … knew that … from my universe." Astrid meekly stuttered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. It wasn't like she had saved the world or anything, she had literally just made an electronic key which was exactly what River and The Doctor would have done without her interference anyways, Astrid had just saved them some time by doing it faster than them, which was certainly not something to get all excited about.

"That wasn't all foreknowledge, I could see it. The way you explained, that was all you! You're brilliant all by yourself!" The Doctor replied, lighting a few lights for their group as they headed down to the underhenge. She was smart, so very smart all on her own, she just didn't gave herself the credit, and he hated that. She always said it was down to her all knowing power, even when she herself did things that he knew were never in the show of hers to begin with. She was a genius, and no one, not even she could tell him otherwise.

"Thank you." Astrid replied, a slight blush brushing across her cheeks as she smiled down towards the ground. Oh my god, her heart, it was going insane. She needed to seriously chill out. And this crush, whatever it was, that she had for the Doctor need to go back to the back of her mind and stay there, where it belongs. She didn't need constant reminders that she liked an alien that was centuries older then her that would never even like her in return. He liked River, not her. River Song, the most amazing damn woman Astrid had ever met. River was strong and brave and badass, the perfect wife for the Doctor. She was a little kid, a human nonetheless, and she would never ever ever be with the Doctor. She needed to stop whatever this was, because when it came time for the wedding, if she lived that long, she couldn't be crying over some stupid crush for a man she met a few months ago.

"Ooo A door, now that's promising!" The Doctor stated, snapping Astrid straight out of her thoughts with a slight jolt. They were there, this door held the Pandorica on the other side, she could feel it. She could feel all of the pain and torture that would soon occur, the suffering the Doctor would have to face because she was too scared to warn him about it. Because she was just a weak little child. Ugh. She hated having to hear that. Weak. She was never considered weak in her world because they were all humans with no special powers too. But here, where practically everyone had their own special weapons … she just felt, well … weak. She didn't have a sonic, or hallucinogenic lipstick, or some awesome weapon like that. She was stuck with foreknowledge, cruddy foreknowledge that she couldn't do anything with anyways! It was the worst power. The one power no one ever wants, the curse that every person in this universe dreads, and she had it all. Everything they would say, or do, every foe they would ever face, every planet and time zone they would ever visit. She knew it all, and she kinda hated it.

"Got the door." River said, staring straight at Astrid with a small smile as the four of them entered together. She knew that Astrid was upset about something. That much was obvious, as she stared at Astrid's far off gaze. It was as if something was bothering her but she couldn't say anything about it, almost like it was foreknowledge. It probably was foreknowledge. She was so young, so hesitant in using what she knew to her advantage. She was probably scared about giving away too much too early or something of the sort. According to future Astrid she was worried about that sort of stuff when she was younger. Always trying to figure out what exactly to say and do so she wouldn't give anything away at the wrong time. It had drained her to the point where eventually she gave up trying and she ended up becoming reckless which resulted in the biggest fight in the universe. She ended up saving someone, someone that nearly cost her her life as well as Sc- well, people that meant a lot to Astrid and the Doctor. It was something that shouldn't have been done, a fixed point, yet she had risked her life to save that person, and that lead to a fight. A fight that then led to heartbreak, which led to a domino effect that nearly ruined the whole galaxy. Being too cautious so young made her the person she was, mistakes, problems and all. And this was where it started. This upset expression on her face in this second in time. The day they were looking for the Pandorica.

"There was a goblin, or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it, or reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world. This is where it was put to stop it." The Doctor explained, looking at the gigantic metal prison that held said creature. This was it, the Pandorica, the box that seemed to be nothing more then whispers, a fairytale spread throughout history, yet here it was, real as real could ever be … well, unless he was hallucinating, he wasn't sure, he hadn't checked. But as far as he could see, it looked pretty real-ish.

"So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name." Amy replied, looking at the box in confusion. It sounded just like Pandora's box … but it had a different name. Considering Pandora was a greek myth perhaps it was based off of the Pandorica. Maybe, the Pandorica was passed through the generations as chinese whispers, like they got more distorted through time so eventually the name got changed. It made sense, after all, no one had ever seen Pandora's box, so who's to say that this wasn't that … just a more spacey version of it.

"Yeah it is basically. For some reason these people don't know what it is." Astrid replied, staring at the box with fear darting through her irises. This was the Pandorica, the Doctor's prison. The end of the universe and the beginning of the universe all in one box, and she was standing right in front of it. It felt horrible … just, cold and dangerous seeing it in real life and she did not like it one bit. If not for Amelia Pond and her amazing brain this box would not exist and this adventure would have been hell. The Doctor could have been killed in the Tardis, or trapped like River if he hadn't been trapped in the Pandorica and it wouldn't have lured him out here, and Rory wouldn't have been found and the universe would have ceased to exist. Everything would be okay because of the amazing Amy. Even if everyone would suffer, at the end of the day we would all get out of this alive. All because Amelia liked Pandora's box as a child.

"Sorry, what?" The Doctor questioned, confused with what was going on. What was Pandora's box and why did Astrid know what it was? Pandora, Pandora, Pandora … Wait! He had heard Pandora before, it was in Astrid's book. It was … Roman … no, norse, no wait Greek. Yes, it was Greek mythology. But the Pandorica was a historic legend sent through all of the galaxy, not Pandora's box. He'd never heard of Pandora's box before Astrid had brought it up in her Pandorica story. But what did they have in common?

"The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favourite book when I was a kid. What's wrong?" Amy questioned, looking at the Doctor's troubled expression. Why did he look so worried? It was just a stupid story that she happened to like when she was younger. It wasn't like it held the key to solving the mystery behind the Pandorica or anything. She knew nothing about the Pandorica, she just knew the Greek myth that seemed to mirror it. Yeah, they could be the same thing, like she had said, but really, the story she knew was probably much more distorted than the story the Doctor knew. So, really, the information she knew was completely useless compared to what the others knew.

"Your favourite school topic. Your favourite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence." Yes, on any normal occasion he would try to figure out the connection, but he couldn't. If he didn't focus completely on the Pandorica there could be horrible consequences. He couldn't be focusing on any other mysteries, not Amy's or Astrid's. Nothing. He had to think about the Pandorica and how to save this world from whatever was inside. That's it. No more dwelling on other thoughts por trying to figure out other things. His mind had to stay focused on the task at hand. Because he knew that whatever was going to happen was going to change everything. Amy's connection had to be ignored, because this, this was worse. He had a feeling, a bad feeling that today would bring great changes.

"I wouldn't ignore that if I were you." Astrid mumbled, trying to give the Doctor a hint for what was to come. That coincidence was a huge key to everything that would happen, and if he figured out … well, it could help, probably … maybe … okay, probably not. To be perfectly honest it would probably hurt more than it would help. Yeah, it would. She was just being stupid. She should've just been quiet, she was being a hindrance. She could ruin time itself, all because this wasn't her universe and she knew everything that would happen. Who was she kidding herself, she didn't even belong here. It was sheer luck that she just happened to end up in this universe of all places. She promised herself that she would use her foreknowledge to protect others, but what if that ended up ruining time as well. Everyone makes a difference, so what if she ends up saving someone that shouldn't have been saved. What if she ruins this universe all because she feels like using her knowledge to make a difference. What if she ruins everything! She could ruin everything. She had to be more careful with what she says and does. She would have to be more selective of what she tells others, and what foreknowledge she could release. She was pretty sure that she ended up dying whilst saving somebody close to the Doctor, whether that be Amy and Rory, or even River. But until that happened she would have to be careful, very careful with what foreknowledge she released and when.

"How long do we have until it opens?" The Doctor questioned, snapping Astrid back into reality. He could see that she was deep in thought, very deep in thought, which was never a good thing when it came to Astrid, even a young version of her. He needed her focused and ready to give him a backup plan in case his plan went all wrong. If she wasn't focused then that could mean that things could go wrong fast. Something that she could have seen in her universe might not match up with this universe, which means that if he couldn't figure something out quick enough and she wasn't there to help them then everything could go wrong. It had happened before and he was not going to have it happen again. He needed Astrid just as much as Astrid needed him, they were a part of each other. They each had half the solution and together they could solve the problem, any problem. She needed to have a clear head, and she needed to stay on track, which means that he had to make that happen. He would have to ask her questions, to keep her occupied or else she would be divulge back into her thoughts and never come back out. He already knew that the Pandorica would most likely be opening within 48 hours, but asking her these things would keep her occupied, and that was most certainly a good thing.

"I'm gonna say less than a day but what I say doesn't matter." Astrid replied, looking meekly down at the floor yet again. She felt ashamed for speaking up, but she had to help. She had to say something, and she was sure that it was okay to say that. That fact was insignificant when it came down to it anyways. At least … she thought so. Not that anyone was even listening to her opinion anyways. She was a little kid, what she said meant nothing. No one would listen to a child, let alone a child like her. Her opinion was just whispers in the wind, something no one wanted to hear, just like her. No more speaking. She had to stop wasting time and saying irrelevant crap.

"What you have to say always matters, Astrid, and don't you forget it." The Doctor stated, crouching down to her level and meeting his eyes with her own. She kept bringing herself down, keeping herself from saying what she wanted to say and doing what she wanted to do, and that hurt him. He could see how amazing she was, and the brilliant things she was doing to help them. She had done so many things to save them, I mean she had nearly died saving Amy not too long ago! She was strong and brave and so smart and she couldn't see that! It just frustrated him to no end! He wish he could tell her, to show her just how amazing she had been and will be, but he just didn't know how. She would never believe him if he told her outright … unless … yes! That could work. He could mind meld with her, show her how much he appreciated her! Yes! When this adventure was done that was exactly what he would do. He would show her that she is appreciated, that her opinion matters, that she was important. He would show her that Astrid Selene was the most important girl in any universe ever created. He would show her that she was special. Unique. But until then he would have to focus, focus on the Pandorica and the adventure that was yet to come, then he could show her how amazing she truly was.

Now then, security, River?" He questioned, turning to River, who was now scanning the base of the Pandorica. If anyone knew anything about the security behind the Pandorica there was one person for the job … River Song. Well, when he says one person he means two, and when he says River Song what he really means is River Song and older Astrid, his Astrid. The Astrid that knew her way out of any prison. She was an expert on security, especially handcuffs. Those blasted cuffs. Oh, just the way she … NO, bad Doctor. Pandorica, worst thing in the universe, focus. Yes, River was the master of security, there was no one else, not at all, not right now at least. So, that being said, she must know the security behind the Pandorica.

"Everything. Deadlocks, time stops, matter lines." River replied, looking down at her sonic device. Clearly the Pandorica was heavily fortified, which meant that whoever was inside the prison trying to come out was strong, extremely strong. And that was bad because that meant that not only would several species kill to have this kind of warrior on their team, it also meant that the world was in danger. And that danger would be coming out in less than a day. Now she knew why future Astrid had warned her about today, there was no doubt that they would have a very tough time reasoning with whatever was in this box, and there was no doubt in her mind that the result of today could very well end in blood shed. Whatever was hidden away in this box was smart, strong and willing to fight if it was really breaking through all of that security. Because from what she had seen, there was more security here than at any other prison she had ever been to. Nothing compared to this, not one thing, and she would know, she'd seen it all.

"Think of the fear that went into making this box. What could inspire that level of fear? Hello, you. Have we met?" The Doctor questioned, getting ever so closer to the box. He had seen terrible foes that have tried to kill and kill and kill. He had seen species that had bred great warriors, and races that have been known for building amazing war machines that were not even a part of their race any more. Hybrids that had torn down city after city, but never has he known a warrior as hidden as this one. Usually war heroes were boastful, they wanted the whole world to know who they were and what they had done … all except for the warrior in this great prison and him. He had never heard of this war hero, the greatest warrior in history that had frightened so many that it had to have been tricked into a prison. He had never heard of it, not once. Only the creator of the Pandorica and Astrid truly knew what was hidden in this box. Only they knew what lay ahead for them.

"How could Vincent have known about it? He won't even be born for centuries." Amy explained. He was just so far in the future and she was pretty sure that he had no way to travel back in time. Yes, he did have a special mind … a brilliant mind. A mind she could have stayed with if she had felt so … bad about staying with him. The idea just made her … sick, like she felt like she was cheating on somebody, like she could ruin time by staying with Vincent. And to be perfectly honest she probably would have. She could have been there to help him, to keep him alive … and although that was a good thing, it would have ruined the timeline and would messed up the universe or something like that. He was a brilliant mind she could not save, and a mind that was so special that perhaps he did know about the Pandorica. Somehow, someway.

"The stones. These stones are great big transmitters, broadcasting a warning to everyone, everywhere, to every time zone. The Pandorica is opening. Even poor Vincent heard it, in his dreams. But what's in there? What could justify all this?" The Doctor questioned. He wanted to just ask Astrid and stop the warrior before it even stepped out of the box. It would be so much easier, and save the world so much quicker, but he knew he couldn't. It was against the rules. If she told him anything of importance before it happened then it could essentially kill time. The universe would cease to exist and that was something he was trying to avoid at all costs. He wasn't going to ruin the galaxy just because he couldn't wait a little longer, he was a Timelord, he could wait. Patience was his middle name … well, that was mostly a mistake. He had kinda wrote down the wrong name on his humany birth certificate. But still … it was his middle name. He could wait a little bit longer, it just meant more time to figure out a plan. Yes, a plan, a brilliant plan that could possibly save the earth from an alien warrior that was out for blood. Perfect.

"Doctor, you said everyone could hear it. So who else is coming?" River Questioned, glancing worriedly towards her screen, trying to get the Doctor back on track. If Everyone heard it that could mean a number of things could go wrong today. Whatever was in this prison was the least of our problems, because everyone hearing that message meant aliens. Loads of aliens. Aliens that would most likely kill to get whatever warrior was hidden in this box. And that meant bloodshed, and not just for the aliens but for the humans that got stuck in the crossfire as well. Nobody would be safe today. Nobody, not even them.

"Stonehenge is transmitting. It's been transmitting for a while, so who heard?" The Doctor inquired, glancing at the stone ceiling of the underhenge. There were was no doubt that there were others who had heard the call, if Vincent had heard it all the way in the future there were bound to be others … alien others. Alieny aliens that would do anything to tame the warrior in this box and keep it for themselves. Aliens that would have no problem erasing entire species to get what they wanted. Stonehenge had been transmitting a signal for a long time, so long that not even he knew the exact time period it had begun, so what aliens would they be facing today as a result?

"Ooh Ooh pick me, pick me!" Astrid replied, her confidence lifting the tiniest bit from the Doctor's kind comment. She was still hesitant, very hesitant, and she still thought herself worthless, but at least she was strong enough to talk. To do something other than sit around. She may not have the confidence to make any huge differences around here, but she could give away little things at the right time, and that would be helping all the same. Aliens were here alright, that she knew, and she could most definitely help by telling him exactly who they were up against to help speed up the process a little bit.

"Astrid, tell me." The Doctor stated, turning to her with a bright smile on his face. She seemed happier, almost like he had helped her to see past her worry and help. He knew she still was scared, scared of letting big spoilers slip, or being a nuisance, and eventually he would help her see otherwise. However, the simple little fact that she was actually offering to say things instead of beating herself up about letting things slip was a huge improvement on his part, and it made him very happy to know that he had been the cause of the change. He knew that she had always had fears of her existence here, even when she was older, and helping her to see past that in this moment in time, no matter how small was amazing! He had gotten her to give away a small spoiler, a spoiler that would do no harm, but good. The spoiler of what exactly was up there in the sky waiting to attack them to get the greatest warrior in history.

"There are millions and millions of starships up in the sky, from what I know there is Daleks, Cybermen, Silurian, Sontaran, Judoon, basically everything that you've ever fought. Yeah, um … they're all here for the Pandorica." Astrid explained, no more worry in her tone. She felt … almost like she was worth something. Like she was floating in the sky without a care in the world, just like she had felt whilst riding on that horse. It just felt so … freeing. She knew that today wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine, and she was not looking forward to all of the horrible things that were inevitably going to happen, but there was a positive ending, and that was what she would keep reminding herself. Perhaps she was a hinderance that was ignored more often than not, and perhaps she didn't belong here but maybe she could help in little ways. Maybe she could help save the universe, because the Doctor was right, maybe not everything she said was worthless, maybe she could make a slight difference and change things for the better. The fight was still happening and this universe needed a hero with foreknowledge on everything that has ever become and anything that would ever be, and that hero could just possibly be her, maybe, if she weren't so afraid of everything.

"Doctor, listen to me. Everything that ever hated you is coming here tonight. You can't win this. You can't even fight it. Doctor, this once, just this one time, please, you have to take Amy and Astrid and run." River stated, taking Astrid away from the internal struggle deep within her mind. The Doctor had to run, he just had to, and Astrid and Amy had to go with him. Amy was her mother and if her mother died here and now River would have never been born, which would create an enormous paradox, and The Doctor was Astrid's love and a man that had not yet done what he was meant to do in this life. And Astrid … oh, Astrid. River could never forgive herself if anything happened to Astrid. Astrid was her best friend, someone she loved more than anyone else, and nothing was allowed to hurt her, not ever. She had to get them out of her, get them to safety and hope to any and all gods that not one of the aliens would spot them and try to harm them in any way. They had to run, now.

"Run where?" He questioned, giving River a doubtful look. They couldn't run some alien up there somewhere would notice and trap them, not to mention, if they ran now it would be a bloodbath, no one would get out of it alive, and he swore a long time ago that he would never let that happen. There would be no deaths, not today and certainly not tomorrow. He wouldn't let it happen. They had to stay here, on the ground and fight, it was the only way.

"Fight how?" River questioned, throwing the Doctor an incredulous look. The man was being ridiculous! Fight?! How the bloody hell would they fight billions upon billions of aliens as well as a bloodthirsty warrior that had been locked in a box for centuries?! He was insane. There was no way that they would get out of a fight alive, let alone saving the rest of the world from extinction. Sure, she was usually one that enjoyed a good fight or two, a gun fight, a fist fight, even a battle of wits, but there was no way to win this battle!

"The greatest military machine in the history of the universe." The Doctor stated, an idea already blooming in his mind. Yes, the odds seemed unlikely, even a bit impossible, but it could work. They could very well save the earth, and some alien species without a single drop of blood spilled, and all he would need is a few extra people, a few extra volunteers that would help him with his negotiation with the starships up above. Also known as the greatest military ever known to walk the face of the earth.

"What is? The Daleks?" Amy questioned, a look of confusion plastered on her face. She had met the Daleks before, and she had to admit, they were pretty good with the whole, hate, kill, and conquer thing, but what did they have to do with any of this? It wasn't like they would fight on our side or anything, they were kinda scared of the Doctor and Astrid and not to mention, the Doctor would never agree to such a thing especially not after … what happened.

"No, come on think. Now you aren't even trying." Astrid replied. It was not Daleks, it would never be Daleks, the Doctor hated their skin and would never offer that they help. They were war machines alright, that was for definite, but they were not the greatest war machine ever. They had the hate and the tactics to go about killing, but what they didn't have was human intuition. They didn't have hope, and they certainly did not have compassion. Se, the Daleks had it all wrong, to be the best in war you don't need all of the bad, you need the good too. The things that make you stop and help others, and grow stronger together as you see all of the horrible things that war has brought. Daleks weren't human, and that was why they were not the strongest Army. Not one bit.

"No. No, no, no, no, no. Astrid is right. I was thinking of the Romans." The Doctor said, a small smirk appearing on his face. The Romans, the strongest army that Earth has ever created and the key to saving it. They were not only good at combat but they were also excellent negotiators, the perfect warriors to save the world. They could keep the ground safe, and save them time so he could figure out a way to isolate the creature within the Pandorica and perhaps reason with it. The time was drawing near, the time of the Pandorica, and they better be ready, because if they weren't, if they made any wrong moves than this could end in bloodshed, and he was not going to let that happen. He was the Doctor, a healer, and today would be the day where everybody lives. This warrior better watch out, because it may be great according to legend, but he was greater … or at least, that was what Astrid always told him. She was going to help him, and together with her foreknowledge, Amy's cleverness, and River's skills we would save the world … again. Today was the day the Pandorica opened … apparently, and they were ready. It was time to help. The Doctor is in.


	16. Ch 16: The Pandorica Opens Pt 3

It had been two hours. Two hours of the Doctor scanning the Pandorica and trying to be all sciency and smart, while River did all of the work. Two hours of Amy sitting on a rock with a bored look on her face, as she watched the other two work. And two hours of Astrid meekly standing off to the side looking off into nothingness as she daydreamed. She could feel the minutes passing, the seconds that glided past her. She always could. It felt like goo passing her fingers. It kept her calm, peaceful as she divulged her mind into a game, a game of a reality so far gone. She could feel it, the tiny house that was bigger on the inside, the loving family with her parents and younger sisters, the three friends that she had left behind. The home she had left behind. She was there. She could walk around, and talk to them and be normal. Her mother, her best friend was singing such a sweet melody, and her sisters were laughing with her. Her father was cooking, and her friends were helping her to push past her insecurities. She was home, she was safe, and for these two hours she was okay. But now … now she wasn't okay. Now she had to be brave, because this wasn't home. It damn well could be if she could just move past her freaking insecurities and doubts and actually help! Yes, she wasn't safe here. Anything could happen and perhaps she was safer at home with a dull boring life, but she had the Doctor here. The Doctor would always protect his companions, his friends, and even his enemies if he could. Yes, she may not be totally okay with being here yet. But eventually her moods would stop swinging all over the place and she could actually be the strong, determined person she knew she could be. Yes, she may not feel welcomed here, and she may still be battling her mind for what to say and do, but she was here and that was all that bloody mattered!

"So what's this got to do with the Tardis?" Amy questioned, standing up with a loud thump, snapping everyone efficiently out of their thoughts. She knew that the Pandorica and the painting were linked, they had to be! After all Vincent had named the painting the Pandorica opens, and the Pandorica was opening. So … did that mean that the Tardis was going to explode when the pandorica opened? Or would the thing … whatever the thing that was stuck in the Pandorica was, destroy the Tardis? Or … or, maybe the pandorica was a giant button or something and the only way to open the box would be to have the Tardis explode! No … that didn't make sense, now did it? Did it?

"Amy, chill. One problem at a time, first we save the universe from the Pandorica, then we solve the mystery behind Vincent's painting." Astrid stated, walking closer to the group. She knew Amy was close, very close to figuring out what was going on here. And she honestly didn't know if that was good or bad. On one hand, if she found out that they were connected it could help the Doctor solve the puzzle quicker which would save them more time, but … on the other hand was a spoiler that big going to destroy the universe? She had saved them time before, but that was a small spoiler, a small spoiler and a rash decision. But, this could be a big one, a spoiler that could wipe out time itself even before the TARDIS did. It was a problem that she herself had to slow to a stop. A problem that Amy could figure out later, just not perhaps now.

"Hey wait … you know? Of course you do, you're Astrid. Can't you tell us why the painting was like that?" Amy questioned, moving in front of the young girl. Astrid knew, she had to know. She was the queen of the spoilers! She knew the answers no one else knew, not even River was that good. River knew the future, her personal future, but Astrid … Astrid knew everyone's future and past and present. She was the most accurate fortune teller out there, in fact Amy had seen her in action. She had done that sciency stonehenge opening thing. Which means, she had seen that before, she had seen that before on her fancy show, which means this was an episode, one of the episodes she had seen. She could help them, explain the connection between the Pandorica and the TARDIS exploding. It wasn't like it was a huge spoiler or anything, just a silly connection, so obviously she could … right?

"No, Amy, that's Spoilers, if it were only that easy. There's forcefield technology inside this box. If I can enhance the signal, I could extend it all over Stonehenge. Could buy us half an hour." The Doctor explained. He was trying to distract Amy. He simply had to, like he had said, Astrid was so very young and moldable, and shy and frightened, he could see it in her eyes. She still felt like she didn't belong, like her powers of foreknowledge hurt her, and that meant that if Amy, strong, determined Amy pushed Astrid for spoilers, the spoilers would slip. Astrid was strong, and so very brave, but Amelia was her friend and her mental state was fragile at the moment, she would give Amelia anything she asked for. And if she let any spoiler slip, if anything was forced out of her and it was something that should never be told, the universe would implode and time itself would cease to exist. Amy had to be distracted, and as a bonus he would get extra time to save the universe from the aliens hovering up above. A half an hour, a great, wonderful, fantastic half an hour … if only he could figure out the right setting on his sonic to enhance the signal.

"What good is half an hour?" Amy asked curiously. It wasn't like thirty minutes was much time, especially in the situation they were in. They wouldn't be able to keep millions of aliens away from the Pandorica forever, let alone thirty minutes! It held the greatest warrior in the universe according to the Doctor and Astrid for crying out loud! Sure, the Doctor was known for coming up with wonderful plans that saved world after spaceship after species, but he hadn't thought of one yet, so why the hell would he think he would come up with one in thirty minutes?! That time was literally nothing, and it was a distraction really not worth creating unless he had a plan, she hoped he had a plan, he always did have rather fantastic plans.

"There are fruit flies live on Hoppledom Six that live for twenty minutes and they don't even mate for life. There was going to be a point to that. I'll get back to you." The Doctor stated, still focused on trying to enhance the signal. It was actually proving to be quite difficult, he couldn't remember the right setting … he knew he had it, unless he had lost it on the way there, which did tend to happen to him sometimes. So now he had to use three different settings at the same time which meant he would have to focus, really focus … like a serious kind of focus that serious kind of people did. There was no time to think about his points and what he meant and his timey wimey explanations, it was time for … ooo, A voicemail from Astrid, he remembered that, it was from the time she … no, stop getting distracted, bad Doctor, he was trying to make a very good point to whoever was listening to his thoughts … a really good point … actually wait … what was his point again?

"His point is that you can do a whole lot in a half an hour." Astrid explained, finishing the Doctor's idea for him. It was true after all, she could write fifteen poems, take a walk, have a conversation, everything yet nothing at all. Anything could happen in one minute … one single moment in time, let alone thirty. Each second you spend, each action you do, each breath you breathe makes a difference, a big difference. Taking a second to say hello to somebody could change the future, everything that happens in a person's life is worth something, everything that happens in anyone's life is important, because one little change, one little action could make the whole world change. A lot could happen in a half an hour, and those fruit flies were a living example of that.

"Ah, yes. Thank you Astrid!" The Doctor said with glee, turning briefly to give her a appreciative glance. Of course Astrid understood him, of course she had explained his point to Amy for him. It was Astrid, marvelous Astrid, Amazing Astrid. Almost his Astrid. Oh, she was just so very helpful! She loved it when she helped him explain things in a not so confusing, Doctory way. She was just so in tune with what he was thinking, and that paired with her humany nature helped her to simplify what he meant in a humany way! It was perfect! She was perfect! Oh, he could kiss her … just not now, because … well, that could ruin time … again.

"Yup, of course sweetie." Astrid replied without even thinking. To be perfectly honest she couldn't even tell you what she had said, she was too focused on other things … other things being … well, her trying not to freak out over the fact that the Doctor was happy she had helped explain his point … and his eyes had gotten nostalgic in a way … almost like he was remembering a situation similar to that … like perhaps she helped him in the future. Maybe she did get over her fear of spoilers eventually. And maybe she did help him in the future, but those eyes, those sad nostalgic eyes told him something different. She didn't understand it not in the slightest, yes, she had died saving a companion, someone dear to the Doctor, and they were kinda like acquaintances, or maybe friends … hopefully friends which meant he had every right to be sad. But, he should never look this sad, and that, that was distracting her.

"What did you just say?" The Doctor questioned, whipping his head around to glance at Astrid with wide eyes. He had heard her … she had said the word … she had called him Sweetie, and just for that brief, fleeting second she could hear her older self, his lover, his beautiful girl, his Astrid, and it made his hearts leap with joy! For one moment his world had changed, for one moment he felt like a schoolboy again, a humany child with a humany crush. He felt so much love, so very much love as it burned through his veins and he absolutely loved it! It made him feel strong and weak and happy and sad all at once. He felt everything, every emotion there ever was, and it was all due to one simple word from one not so simple woman. She had said something, and unless his ears were deceiving him, she had called him Sweetie.

"Ummm … I said, yup, of course." Astrid answered in an akward reply whilst throwing a million curses left and right within her head. She had called him sweetie … a simple slip of the tongue, the one word she must never use and the whole world had crumbled down around her. Out of all the things she could have said in her preoccupied state and she had gone with sweetie? Really?! She was a real idiot if she couldn't even get talking right! It had just fallen off her tongue so easily! She loved the word, she loved it so much, and she always used it back in her old universe. And the Doctor … he was just … ugh! He was her sweetie … or at least she wished he was. But no. He was not, he was River's sweetie, and even if River had let her carve it on the cliff face from her it was not her word to use, it was River's. She had just said some very stupid words with her very stupid mouth … that's all, nothing more to it.

"No, no, no, after that." The Doctor said looking towards her with a huge smile on his face. He knew she had said it, he just knew she did, yet she tried to deny that it had ever slipped past her lips! It was just so adorable to see her so uncomfortable, so young, so unwilling to say that she loved him. Never had he seen her older self embarrassed … well, unless you counted that one time, that one really new, very strange time when he had been embarrassed as well, but this, this was different. She was young and pure, and now the color of a racnoss … a very bright, very sickly red racnoss. And it was all due to one silly little word!

"I said nothing at all." Astrid stated, trying to calm her heated face. She felt so embarrassed. She had used a word that was not hers, her crush mixed with her preoccupied state had ruined everything! She was such an idiot. The Doctor had heard her, of course he had and now he wouldn't let it go! He was a 900 plus year old alien and she had just called him Sweetie! He was old enough to be her great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather and he had called him sweetie! And not to mention, he had heard her! That makes it so much more awkward! I'd never be able to face the Doctor again knowing that I said such a thing to him.

As if Amy had known how embarrassing the situation was getting, she stepped in, pulling out the ring box from inside her pocket. She had wondered why the Doctor had had such a thing ever since she had found it. So, it only seemed fitting that she asked now and saved Astrid from what had happened and get an answer all at the same time. Knock two things out with one punch sorta thing.

"So, are you proposing to someone?" She questioned, holding up the box. From her knowledge, she didn't know if the Doctor had ever married Astrid, or if they ever planned to get married, but she knew one thing. The Doctor had this engagement ring in his pocket for a reason, and she wanted to know that reason. Astrid felt almost like a daughter to her, someone she cared about an awful lot, even if she hadn't exactly shown it right away, and that meant if anyone, even her best friend planned on marrying the girl, she wanted to know.

"No. No, no, that's er, a memory." The Doctor exclaimed, quickly grabbing the box out of the girl's hand and opening the box to reveal the ring. She had found it, the ring, her ring, the ring Rory had given her. And to be honest he didn't know whether that was a really good, yay, balloons and streamers sorta thing, or if it was a boo, really bad sorta thing. Rory had died, more so he had been erased from time, so technically, to Amy this was just a ring, not her ring, not the ring Rory had given her. Just a simple engagment ring, so really, that couldn't do much damage, could it? Well, not really, at least he didn't think so, but then again, he hadn't had much experience with people being taken out of time and other people not remembering those people before, so anything could happen. Only Astrid truly knew how this would affect Amy in the long run. Only she knew if Amy finding the ring would bring any consequences.

"It's weird. I feel, I don't know, something." Amy replied, staring at the engagement ring. She didn't know what it was, but staring at this ring, it just brought back that odd feeling of sadness, as though she had lost something again and she couldn't remember what. She just felt so empty as she looked at the tiny band. She loved something, or she does love something. She just couldn't figure out what she was missing … who she was missing. Was this engagement ring connected to the person she had lost? The memory the Doctor knew and she didn't? And if that were true then why had she forgotten them? Surely if she had loved something so much she wouldn't have forgotten them?

"People fall out of the world sometimes, but they always leave traces. Little things we can't quite account for. Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely. And if something can be remembered, it can come back. Nevermind that …" The Doctor stated, only to be cut off by a blast of energy blasting a hair away from Astrid's face. His heart jumped, quickly grabbing the two girls and dragging them behind the Pandorica without a second thought. That had been incredibly close to killing Astrid … too close for his liking. Astrid was still too young, too precious. She couldn't die, not today. And she wouldn't, not if he had anything to say about it. She wasn't ready, her body not yet fully prepared. Not yet. But that didn't stop his mind from telling him otherwise. Something was coming, something telling him that her day was coming. The day she would become his Astrid, and that terrified him. Her body was too fragile. If anything happened to her before it was time she could very well die, and for good this time. He would have to be careful, really careful, and make sure that nothing hurt Astrid, not one single thing. Because if she got hurt before her time, well, there would be nothing stopping him from wreaking havoc on the thing that had killed her. Even if that thing had been him himself.

"What was that?" Amy questioned, snapping the Doctor out of his thoughts. Something almost killed Astrid. Something was here with them and it was trying to kill them. But what? What could possibly have snuck down here without them knowing … unless … unless, it didn't sneak down here. Nothing could have gotten past the Doctor without him knowing, nothing, which meant that it had been here and they just hadn't noticed. So, why hadn't it killed them yet? It had plenty of chances to kill them at this point, so what was stopping it from attacking?

"Okay, I need a proper look. Got to draw its fire, give it a target." The Doctor stated, glancing quickly around the corner. It hadn't attacked them … yet. Which was good for their health, and bad for his curiousity. He needed to know what had tried to kill Astrid, what had tried to kill them all, actually. Because if something was trying to kill one of them, it meant that essentially it wanted all of them dead. That was after all the plan of every bad guy or bad girl out there. Now, he loved a good bad girl, his Astrid was living proof of that. But in this case perhaps not. He would probably have to stop whatever was trying to hurt them, because it was trying to hurt them and ultimately kill them, obviously. To do that he would have to figure out what exactly he was up against.

"How?" Amy asked. She was ready, ready to help and save the Doctor if he decided to do anything completely and utterly stupid like … practically every time, except when Astrid is there to set him straight of course. Not to mention she was curious. She wanted to know what was trying to kill them and why in the name of hell it had tried to kill a fourteen year old girl! If the Doctor had a plan she was all ears, she just hoped it didn't suck as much as his other impromptu plans, that although brillant, usually ended up failing somewhere down the line.

"You know how sometimes I have really brilliant ideas?" The Doctor questioned, giving Amy a brief glance. He actually didn't have much of a plan … more of a thing, a thing that would probably lead to a plan with a lot of talking and moving around … but it was just a thing right now, and because he didn't have the time or the space to talk and move around, well - unless he wanted to die of course - he couldn't exactly turn the thing into a plan. He knew that the monster/alien/parasite/etc. was either unable to attack, or wouldn't attack at the current moment, which meant that they would have the ability to surprise whatever it was that was down here with them, so he was going to surprise it, and that was where his thing came in, his not so brilliant idea … the idea that wasn't one of his best. Did he have brilliant ideas? Perhaps that was more Astrid's turf.

"Yeah this isn't going to be one of the good ones." Astrid proclaimed, giving the Doctor a small smirk. The Doctor was a genius, the man with the plan, the madman with a mad plan if it were. He was always thinking, constantly figuring things out when they needed it most. He's there, waiting for us to stumble, so he can rush in and save us. He was brilliant, his mind oh so dazzling, and that simply proved it. It took a good man to think intelligently, a great man to think outside the box, and a madman to think outside the realm of possibility, whilst on the run. And the Doctor was all three. He had a plan alright, a plan that would show him that the thing that had nearly blown her face off was indeed a cyberarm, but it was not a good one, not at all. It was actually quite simple really, and it was not something she was looking forward to. It's one thing to watch him run across the screen on a tv, but this was real, and if things didn't go to plan, well, then she would have no one to blame but herself.

"Look at me, I'm a target!" The Doctor screamed, running out from behind the box, making it safely to the other side of the Pandorica. It couldn't be could it? He had seen it, there was certainly no denying that. But did that mean, if that was a part of a proper machine at one point, then was it the guard to the Pandorica? But that didn't make sense! Why was it still here? What had happened to the other parts of it? If the arm was working then surely the rest of the body should be working too … unless of course, it had been destroyed by whatever was inside the Pandorica … that was always a possibility since he had not a single clue what was inside the giant metal prison. All he knew is that this arm had to be disabled, it was a nuisance and if they kept it alive it would only harm, not protect, like it's job probably, most certainly was.

"It's a cyberarm from a cyberman, am I right?" Astrid questioned in a meek tone. She still felt weary about giving away spoilers, as though she could do more harm then help, but she had to ask, to make sure that the timeline was still intact and the same as she and seen in the show. To make sure the Doctor would get out of this adventure alive. She just felt so uncertain. So confused. One half of her brain told her everything would be okay, and she should just shut up and let things run their course, but the other half, it told her a different story. It told her that this adventure wasn't going to go as well as she had seen in the show. It told her to give away spoilers, to help, to jump in and save some lives. And she didn't know who to listen to. Would it all be okay? Should she help? It was an ongoing battle, stay quite, or speak up? Spoilers or no spoilers? Was it a cyberarm? Or was it something else, something that she didn't anticipate.

The Doctor snapped her out of her worried thoughts, giving her a confirming nod. It was a cyberarm, definitely a cyberarm from a cyberman. How it was working without the rest of the body, he didn't know. But it was here, and it had shot at them … unless it hadn't, and they had all imagined it, and he was pretty sure that they hadn't. Well, okay kinda sure, like 90% sure … which last he checked was almost as sure as sure can get. A cyberarm was almost, most likely, probably here.

"And what's a Cyberman?" Amy questioned, looking at Astrid. Astrid must know, right? She knew practically everything, even as a kid. Surely she knew what this cyber … thingy was. It sounded like a computer virus to her. Cyberman. Like really? Could you not get more creative? Who could possibly be afraid of a Cyberman? She wanted to laugh, not run. They were basically the equivalent to kittens, supposed to be evil, but sounded way too cute to hurt anyone. Oh my gosh if someone tells her it's literally a man computer she would die laughing. Just imagine it … A tiny little computer with a human head that shoots laser beams out of its antenna! That would be the least threatening thing on the planet!

"Oh, it's part man, part robot. The human died out years ago. So now the robot part is looking for, well, a new host aka us." Astrid explained, a sparkle in her eye and a leap in her step as she finally gave away a spoiler without regretting it. Amy had asked her to explain! Her! Not the Doctor like she had thought, it had been her! Maybe she could give away spoilers without feeling the need to staple her mouth shut! She just needed to wait until they asked her specifically. That's all. She just needed patience. Nothing more, nothing less! She had told Amy about the Cyberman, and nothing had gone wrong, the world had blown up, and time hadn't disintegrated. They were fine, safe … well, cyberarm aside of course. That was a problem. She knew that it would try to harm Amy, but that would never happen. Not with her around, not ever. Because she cared for Amy, she looked up to Amy, and no matter what happened she would protect Amy, because she did not want her to go through the pain. She was going to step in and save Amy even though she knew Amy would be okay in the end, because she wanted to help, to make sure she was 100% okay, because that's why she was here. To protect. Question was, how would she save her? The cyberman wanted her as a donor, but how would she change that?

"What?!" Amy exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. Okay, literally a man computer … just more dangerous and not as funny as she thought. It wanted us as a host! A damn host, well that thing had another thing coming because she was nobody's host. She was a human being with all of her limbs and she wanted to stay that way, thank you very much. She didn't want some robot to use her limbs for some weird cyborg sort of thing … how would they even get her body parts from her in the first place? It wasn't like they were robot doctors with some surgical saws for hands and an aesthetic in their mouth or anything weird like that … right?

"It's just like being an organ donor, except you're alive and sort of screaming. I need to get round behind it. Could you draw its fire?" The Doctor asked, promptly changing his Sonic's setting to 123. That was his cyberman setting, he had it specially installed after an incident involving older Astrid and a few thousand cyber ships … okay, he was probably exaggerating, but still, it was a LOT, and they all wanted a piece of Astrid's hair … yeah, long story. She might have hid the cybermens' brain on a chip and the chip might have been hidden in her hair. Let's just say, after nearly being blown to bits and having a raving woman scream at you for hours on end … well, you tend to include a cyberman setting on your sonic that you never ever forget. Anyways … back to the topic at hand … what was that, oh, yes, cyberarm. Amy has to distract the cyberarm so he could disarm it. That's it! Did she do it yet? Was he busy thinking and she had already ran across … no, because then she would be with him. Good, so he hadn't missed it., but that begged the question, would she do it?

"Sure!" Astrid stated, pushing Amy to the floor without a moment of thought and running straight towards the other side of the room. She watched, a smile on her face as the Doctor pounced on the cyberarm, a worried glance quickly sent towards the young girl. She had done it, she had actually properly done it! She had saved Amy, well, halfway, she still had to make sure that Amy wouldn't get caught by the cyberman itself. But that was easier said then done, the cyberman was closer to her now, not Amy. She just had to wait and let the nasty robot shoot the sleepy dart at her and then she would have successfully made a difference and saved some lives for once … even if it was just saving Amy from some pain, and tired aching.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned, something lassoing her tightly around the ankle. She couldn't see what it was, or why it wanted her, but she was willing to bet it had something to do with the stupid cyberarm that the Doctor was sonicing. For some reason she had a feeling that the Doctor was wrong. If there was a cyberman at one point that that arm was attached to, then where was the body, and the head, and the legs? Where were they? It just made no sense. Well, she knew where they were, or at least she had a really bad feeling she knew. She looked down, the metal wire tightening even more, if that were even possible. This was where the other parts were. The arm, the arm was a trap, a trap to get the Doctor and Astrid away from her, and now she would become a cyberwoman and get cut and torn apart all because she was stupid enough to get caught. And just because of that she screamed. She wasn't getting caught, not today, not now. She was going to live, she just needed to get a little help from the two a few feet away from her.

"Amy!" The Doctor called, looking up from where he was trying to sonic the arm, he had to go save Amy, he just had to go save her. She had screamed. She was in danger. She needed to save her. He tried to jump up, nothing else registering in his mind as he tried to get to Amy, what he failed to notice however, was that the cyberarm was holding him in place, and just like that he was down to the ground, an electric shock shaking him to the very core.

Astrid watched, her head reeling in panic as the Doctor passed out from the current passing through his body. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, Amy wasn't supposed to get caught! It was all her fault! She was so stupid for thinking that she could stop something that clearly had to happen to the letter or else anything could happen. She had to help, she had to wake the Doctor and save Amy. That was the plan.

She rushed over to the Doctor, sinking to the ground and slapping his cheeks gently with her hand. He had to wake up, he had to! She couldn't do this by herself. All she did was mess things up when she did things herself. She needed his help, she needed the Doctor, he would know how to save Amy without mucking things up. He was better at this then her, smarter. No, no, no. Wait. She just had to stay focused and think. She could do this, she knew what was going to happen, she had seen this before, more or less. She didn't need the Doctor. She already knew how to save Amy. She would go in place of her. She would unwrap the metal using the Doctor's sonic and then push her over towards the Doctor, towards safety and let the cyberman fight her for her body. The machine wanted a body, well good luck to it.

She stood up, grabbing the sonic, and turned towards the fallen body of Amy with determination in her eyes. She was ready to save Amy, to protect her and make up for the mistake she made.

She took a step, this was it no more being the weak one.

Another step, no more being afraid of her foreknowledge.

Another, no more being a child.

Another, and she fell to the ground, pain overtaking her head. Something had hit her, or at least that's what she could figure out with her pain ridden mind. She had to stand up, to keep going, to save Amy. But she couldn't. She couldn't get up, and as she laid there looking towards Amy as her eyes slowly closed, she frowned. She wasn't strong, or brave, or invincible. She was a child, a weak, stupid child and she had failed.

* * *

"Amy? Where's Amy?" The Doctor questioned, snapping out of his unconscious state. He hoped Amy was okay, he didn't see her anywhere, and the last thing that had happened before he had passed out was her screaming. Something had happened to her. Something bad. He didn't know exactly what, but he knew one thing. Amy had been in trouble, and if anything had happened to her, anything at all, it would be his fault. He hadn't saved her. Not at all. He had been too busy passed out … not that he had exactly planned on passing out, or wanted to … he just had. She could be dead, or turned into a cyberman, or missing, or … well, he didn't know what else to think. Anything could have happened in the amount of time he had spent passed out … even Astrid could be dead at this point … wait! Astrid! Where was she, were was she, where was she!

"She's fine. Don't worry." Astrid stated, holding her pounding head as she sat up abruptly. She felt better, much better actually … slight headache aside, that time spent unconscious had done her wonders! She no longer felt the aching in her bones or the burning in her blood, and her heart no longer hurt. It had passed, just like always. Surely it would be back sometime soon, but all that mattered was that it was gone once again and she felt completely fine! Amy was passed out a few feet behind her shielded by her body and all had played out exactly how it was supposed to … which meant, if her memory served her correct … Rory was back! He was there, standing not inches away from her standing in front of the Doctor! Rory! He was okay, he was safe. She was so incredibly happy! Her best friend, the man she trusted more than anyone in the universe. He was here! He was a Roman!

"Okay then, Romans. How many?" The Doctor questioned, not even giving the soldier in front of him a second glance. He had sent River to get Romans, lots and lots of Romans to save the whole of the world. That was her job, something he knew she was good at. After all she was the most persuasive person, aside for older Astrid of course, that could get anyone to do what they wanted. So the question was, how many Romans did the great River Song persuade to help fight for the world?

"Fifty men up top, volunteers." Rory explained, looking at the Doctor with amusement. He knew it was them. The moment River had shown up at the camp asking for volunteers he was almost certain that Astrid and Amy and the Doctor had been here too. And so he volunteered along with the other forty nine Romans. Fifty people in all, a small group of basically guards that were here to protect the Doctor while he saved the world.

"Fifty? You're not exactly a legion." The Doctor stated, giving the Roman a slight glance. Fifty wasn't much, that was almost none … well, technically any number was almost none if you applied the laws of martian maths. To them everything was almost zero, or zero itself, there was no inbetween. But still. He expected much more than fifty Romans! He thought River was good at her job, yet this just proved the opposite. She was bad … bad River. No, Astrid was good at her job, really good, she was a good bad girl, better then River. River gave her fifty Romans where Astrid would have given him them all! Fifty was blah! He couldn't do fifty. He needed more! Bad River. He was so having a talk with her about better persuasion tactics.

"Your friend was very persuasive, but it's a tough sell." Rory countered. River was very good at her job, so good that from what he knew she had evaded death and had gotten fifty helpers on top of that within the span of five minutes. That was very good. It wasn't her fault that it was very tough to get volunteers if they didn't know what they were fighting. All she had said was that people were needed to help fight an unnamed foe. Nothing more. He knew that this 'unnamed foe' was probably, most definitely alien if the Doctor was involved, but the other Romans didn't know that. It's why they didn't want to help, no one in their right mind would agree to help fight something if they didn't even know what it was.

"Yes, I know that, Rory. I'm not exactly one to miss the obvious. But we need everything we can get." The Doctor stated in his preoccupied state, watching as Astrid gave him a giant smile. He knew that smile. That was her spoiler smile, the I know something you don't smile, the just look around something great has happened but you haven't noticed it yet smile. He was missing something. Definitely missing something obvious, something that Astrid knew already. Something important. But what? Was it the cyberman arm? Okay, definitely possibly the cyberarm.

"Doctor?" Rory questioned, giving the Doctor a look. He had called him Rory, but he wasn't acknowledging him. Had Astrid told them he was still alive? Because otherwise this made no sense and it confused the hell out of him. Had he really even noticed that he was here, alive in front of him? Probably not, he was probably too busy saving the world. Him being alive was not more important than millions of lives, certainly. He was just one human person. The whole world on the other hand, that was much more important.

"Hush, Rory. Thinking. Why leave a Cyberman on guard, unless it's a Cyberthing in the box. But why would they lock up one of their own? Okay, no, not a Cyberthing, but what? No, I'm missing something obvious, Rory. Something right slap in front of me. I can feel it." The Doctor exclaimed, pacing around in front of the two as Astrid laughed like a maniac. He was missing something. Stupid Doctor, stupid, idiot man. What was he missing! Clearly the guard being a cyberman had nothing to do with anything. So what was he missing? Ugh! It must be so obvious, just on the tip of his tongue, smack dab in front of him. He hated missing things! It made him look so dumb!

"Yes, you very much are." Astrid exclaimed, a huge smile on her face as she continued to giggle. It was so funny to watch him struggle. Rory was right there in front of him! Literally a step away from him, not to mention, his brain had clearly recognized the familiar face since he had called him by name twice! He was just being silly. And it. was. Hilarious! The tv had not done this scene justice, my god! He was being such an idiot for a genius … but that was the Doctor for you, stupid when it came to the obvious and a genius when it came to everything else.

"I'll get it in a minute." The Doctor replied, waving the girl off, grabbing a bunch of weapons in his hands, and leaving the room. What had been in the room ,what had happened that had made Astrid so happy. Clearly it wasn't the Pandorica, because nothing had changed there. It wasn't the cyberarm, because that had been killed along with the body, it wasn't Amy, she was safe and sound sleeping, not even stirring once. There was nothing else in the room, that was it. Not to mention, nothing like that got Astrid to smile so wide and so genuinely … nothing except … Rory. He dropped the weapons, rushing back into the room, staring back at the guard in surprise. Pushing the man gently as though assuring himself that the roman wasn't in fact a ghost or figment of his imagination of some sort.

"Hello again." The Doctor said, looking the man up and down. Rory was back! He was here in front of them, which was impossible, but amazing all the same! No wonder Astrid was so happy, her best friend was back! She trusted Rory more then she trusted him, which was an awful lot from what her older self had told him. Rory was back, and here with them no less.

"Hello." Rory replied, looking towards the Doctor awkwardly. He didn't think the Doctor would ever realize he was here. Astrid knew she was staring right at him, laughing as she watched the Doctor work through what he was missing. All that time, while the Doctor tried to figure out the obvious thing he hadn't realised and it had been him! Not that he didn't know that, it was kinda obvious … and kinda funny to watch the Doctor work out. It just surprised him. That's all.

"How've you been?" The Doctor questioned. Clearly he was alive, no doubt there. He didn't know why or how, not yet. But he was a breathing human being … again, and he didn't seem to be a fake or anything, which meant he had spent the last several months here while they had been off galavanting in time and space. He had spent time apart from them, apart from his best friend that he had thought had died and his almost wife that he loved more than anyone had loved anything. He had probably thought he would never see them, he must have had times where he thought that life wasn't worth living. He had to know, to see if he was truly 100% okay. To see how he was.

"Good. Yeah. Good. I mean, Roman." Rory replied, a small smile on his face. It had been tough for the first week or two. He had been convinced that he was dead, that he wasn't truly here, and that the afterlife was just some weird Roman thing. But then he had realized he was breathing and alive and it took another month to realize that he wasn't dreaming and that he was here and in fact a Roman. He never doubted that Astrid had known and that one day he could possibly see them again, he never lost that hope. Not once. He just felt a bit disturbed at the whole Roman thing. Why Roman and how? So yeah, he was pretty good. Just … confused, which was pretty normal for him considering he traveled with the alien that had crashed his stag night.

"Rory, I'm not trying to be rude, but you died. You died and then you were erased from time. You didn't just die, you were never born at all. You never can you be here?" The Doctor questioned, narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out the mystery behind the man. Technically it shouldn't have been possible at all, not one bit, but it had happened. It had, and he couldn't just deny the proof. He had died and then was wiped from existence, yet he was still alive. Huh … did that sound familiar. He could have sworn this had happened before. Rory was an impossible thing. Something that never should have happened. But honestly, that really shouldn't surprise him. Things always tended to be rather impossible around him. Astrid was impossible, Amy was impossible. It was just impossible thing after another with these people! So really, should it honestly shock him if Rory was impossible as well? Maybe he just felt out of place and wanted to be like the other two, it only made sense after all, he was the only not impossible one in the group. Yes, he didn't know how Rory had ended up this way, but he had, and it was an awfully amazing thing that he was alive, so he should just be happy about it and move on. Right? Okay, no, he still really, really, really wanted to know how he had survived. It was too good of a mystery to pass up!

"I don't know. It's kind of fuzzy. I died and turned into a Roman. It's very distracting. Did she miss me?" Rory inquired glancing quickly over to where Amy still lay unconscious. She wasn't going to lie, he had missed her, incredibly. He just hoped she had felt the same and they hadn't been alone in their feelings. He knew she would be back one day, it's just, he couldn't help but feel so lost without her. She was the one constant in his life, the woman he had grow up loving. They were together through everything, everything. Her first crush, her first boyfriend, her first heartbreak, he had been there for it all consoling her and making sure she was alright just like she had been there to help him. The first time he was bullied, she was there to rescue him. The first time that he had fallen off a swing, she had been there to patch him up. It's why he had become a nurse. He wanted to help people just like she had help him that one time so long ago. They were always together no matter what, and being without her for simply a few months … well, it was different. He missed her, and hopefully she missed him and they could stay together now, forever, like they were meant to.

"Oh, Rory, I don't know about those two, but I most definitely missed you." Astrid exclaimed, rushing towards Rory and hugging him as tightly as she could. She had missed him so much to the point where it almost hurt to think about him. He was the only one that stuck up for her, the first one she had met when she had came to this universe. The kindest person she had ever met, and someone she could share everything with and know she would never be judged. Rory was more than her best friends from home, he was her one and only true best friend, someone that understood her as she understood him. And she was so glad he was back.

"I've missed you too Astrid, so much." Rory replied, holding the girl tightly in his arms. Now, he may not have worried too much about Amy, but Astrid, she was a whole other story. She was just so young, and so innocent and he always felt the need to protect her, to keep her safe. Because she didn't deserve to be here … to travel with the Doctor when he knew that dangers would await the child at every corner. Astrid had told him once that Amy is and always would be safe, that she had assured, but the girl didn't know if anything would happen to her. She didn't know if she would get hurt or die, and that was terrifying. She was his best friend, someone that he could talk to, other than Amy, that knew practically everything about him and understood him in a way that Amy did not. Astrid was him, he saw it deep within her, and that made him trust her more than anything and anyone, because he had been that innocent once, and he knew what it did to a person when that innocent broke. She was him, and he was her and together they were back together as one, two friends keeping each other safe in their arms.

* * *

"So you didn't die either then?" Rory questioned, the two sitting on the floor awaiting for Amy to wake up. He had known that according to the Doctor she would be okay, but he still worried. Worried that she had disappeared off to die by herself, away from them. Away from him. Worried that the danger of the Doctor's life had injured her for good. But she was safe, here in front of her. Safe. Her pigment seemed alright, her heartbeat average when she had hugged him, and her body didn't seem to be hurting her at all at the moment. She was okay. She didn't die!

"No, I transported to River and she fixed me up. I'm still a little sore but I'm all good. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you." Astrid replied meekly, looking towards the ground in shame. She could have saved him, she could have made sure he wouldn't have had to go through all of the agonizing pain that he did. She could have went in his place. But she didn't, she had left before she could have done anything to help him. And she hated herself because of that. She was here for a reason, she was here to save the Doctor's companions. If she couldn't save Rory Williams, her best friend from getting hurt then how would she save anyone in this universe!

"Save me?" Rory questioned, looking towards Astrid in confusion. She wanted to save him? From what? He was okay the last time he checked. He hadn't died or anything, so why did Astrid look guilty, why did she apologize for not saving him? In his eyes he could find nothing wrong. Astrid had nearly died, he had nearly died, and now here they were safe and sound and she was apologizing, it just made zero sense to him.

"I wanted to save you from being shot, but I ended up leaving before I could. I'm sorry. I wanted to be there, I wanted to save you." Astrid replied, tears forming in her eyes as she simply thought about what she had done. It was all her fault. All of it. The pain, the hurt, the torture Rory must have felt as he died. The sadness he must have had thinking he would never be with his fiance ever again, the pain he was going to go through once he realized Amy didn't remember him. All of it was her fault. She had nearly killed Rory, not the blaster shot from the silurians gun or the crack in time and space. She had nearly killed him. He should never forgive her, never. She was worthless, she had hurt him. She had hurt her best friend. She knew and she hadn't helped, she hadn't warned him, nothing, and so he had no one to blame but her.

"Hey, don't you dare apologize." Rory said, assuring her. Astrid had done nothing to harm him, just because she knew didn't automatically mean that everything was her fault. Besides, if she had even told him it was going to happen before it did he wasn't stupid, he knew what would happen. Time could disintegrate. Astrid had told him. Just because he had had to go through pain and disappear from them for a few months was not her fault, not at all. She had tried everything she could to save him in her wounded state. Not to mention, if she had been there to save him, he knew her enough to know that she would just die in his place, which was not what he wanted. Not at all. If he had to go through pain to make sure that Astrid did nothing rash, then so be it. He was glad things had happened as they had, Astrid had no reason to apologize. Not to him, not for this.

"But you went through all the pain, and I didn't want you to. I should have saved you. I was just being a weak child, if I had just stayed there longer … "

"No. Don't you dare. If you had stayed there longer you would have died, and then I would have never forgave myself. I did what I wanted to do, I saved the Doctor, just like you saved Amy. You are so brave, and strong, you just have to believe in yourself, trust me." Rory stated, pulling the young girl in for a hug. He hated seeing her like this, so destroyed over something she had no control over. She looked down upon herself too much. She thought she was weak? Weak? She had saved Amy and risked killing herself for good. She struggled through so much pain to stay awake when in reality she should have been dead by the time he had arrived underground with them. She was strong, a fighter, someone that thought for herself and had her own brilliant ideas. She had the mind of an adult, so wise and intelligent. Astrid was anything but a weak child, her heart was so beautiful, so kind, so completely pure and no one would ever tell him otherwise, not even Astrid herself.

"Don't leave me ever again." Astrid whispered against his chest, holding him tighter, tears painting her cheeks white as they trailed down her face. Rory meant everything to her. He was everything to her. He was so kind, so loving when others didn't give her a second glance. Rory saw her emotions, he saw deep into her heart when no one else could. He was the one person to matter the most to her, and without him she had lost sight of who she truly was. If he ever left her she would break. He was her guide, and he was all that ever mattered. She had messed up saving him once but he would never, never leave him to die in pain again.

"I promise I won't." Rory stated pulling the girl closer. He couldn't say no to her, not to Astrid. Astrid deserved more than that, and no matter what happened he would try not to leave her. She made him remember the person he once was, the person he wanted to be, and to the best of his ability he would protect her. Because she was lost in this world, stuck in a universe without her parents, her friends, without anything or anyone she knew, and he knew how that felt. They were both lonely at one point, stuck in a never ending loop of emotions. But they had found each other. They had found friendship, and he was never going to let that go. He wouldn't … no, couldn't leave her. She was the part of him long since gone, and no matter where she went, or how far apart they ever would become he would always protect her, because he was her best friend and she was his. And nothing would stop him from getting to her. Nothing. No monster or alien or planet would stop them. Because they were strong together, because they were friends, because they were Rory and Astrid. Together again.


	17. Ch 17: The Pandorica Opens Pt 4

It had been a good twenty minutes of catching up with Astrid. She seemed brighter, happier in a way, more confident, and that made him happier. He could see something in her, something that hadn't been there the last time they had been together. He could see fire, fire in her eyes, a bright pink that seemed to overtake her hazel irises, a fire that made her seem all the more beautiful. He didn't know if it was a reflection, or a trick of his brain, but he saw it, and it just seemed to calm him in a way. She was okay. He was okay. Everyone was okay. Now all they had to worry about was the aliens hovering above the earth.

"They're still out there. What do we do now?" Rory questioned, glancing over to the Doctor, who had joined their conversation not too long ago. Apparently the Doctor had made some epic speech or something and sent them away for a little bit? He didn't quite understand it, but that's what Astrid had told him, so it was good enough for him. All he knew is that the aliens going away for a 'little bit' was not a good thing, not at all. It meant that they would come back, it meant that they were still a problem that needed to be taken care of, it meant they weren't gone for good … yet. So what would they do now? They couldn't very well just sit around and do nothing … unless the Doctor's plan involved sitting around and doing nothing of course.

"If I can stop whatever's in this box from getting out, then they'll go home." The Doctor explained, looking towards the box with determination. He didn't know what it was and he didn't care … okay, maybe he did care a little … okay, no, a lot. But his curiosity didn't matter. Not if the human race was on the line. He would have to keep the Pandorica closed, to try to close it. Because the world needed protecting, and the only reason that those aliens were here was because of the prisoner in the box. So, get rid of the Pandorica opening, get rid of aliens hovering above earth, simple. In fact there wasn't a solution simpler … Welllll … when he saved an ancient city from burning by saying hello was probably the simplest simple is going to be, but still. Point still stands. And while he was on the subject of points … how did they stand? There were lots of ways to stand. Good posture, bad posture, leg over the other, ankles crossed. So how was it standing? He knew if he were a point he'd - no wait, he was getting off topic again. Bad Doctor. Focus. He has to stop the Pandorica from opening.

"Right." Rory stated, looking over to Astrid's happy smile. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. If Astrid's reaction was anything to go by it seemed to be totally okay. She didn't seemed worried or upset, which was a very good sign. Maybe the Doctor does succeed and the Pandorica stays closed and the aliens do leave, maybe it would be that simple. He sure hoped so. He just wanted this all to be done so everyone would stay safe and no one would get hurt. He knew, oh he knew well what would happen if this turned into a full blown adventure. Someone always gets hurt, always. Every. Single. Time. And he just had a really bad feeling that one day Astrid would be the one to get hurt again. And one day it would break her. But not today, definitely not today. Because he would not allow it. Not over his not so dead Roman body!

"Rory, you're going to have to be very brave now." The Doctor told the man, watching as Amy began to stir. Oh, this was bad, so very bad. Amy didn't remember Rory, but Rory was here. Here and alive, and he remembered her. He loved her and she had loved him and now they could never be together. Not ever. All because she didn't remember the man she had once loved. It was awful, and now Rory would have to face her not even knowing that she didn't remember anything about him. It was torture, that he knew from experience. And he hated the fact that poor Rory the Roman would have to got through that. No one deserved to go through that kind of pain, not one person. But Rory was going to, no way to stop it, no time to prepare. This was happening now. And he would have to brace himself, to be brave, to remember just how much she had loved him and hold onto it, because the sight was not going to be pretty.

"This is going to hurt a lot. I'm sorry." Astrid stated, giving Rory a regretful expression as Amy walked straight past the pair to the Doctor. She felt so bad for him. Amy didn't remember him, not at all … well, for this moment in time anyways. It was horrible, he would have to go through the pain of his love, his fiancee, his Amy not knowing just how much she loved him … just how much he loved her, and that was terrible. Just imagine the torture. It was sad enough to make anyone cry … except her. Yes, she was upset as she looked at Rory, and guilty for not warning him, but it would be better in the end. It wasn't like Amy would forget Rory forever, just a couple hours at most, so it wasn't all bad. Rory was right, she couldn't change everything, she just needed to think positively. Amy and Rory would be together again, and Amy's memories will come back to her all in good time. Everything would be fine.

"Oh, my head." Amy exclaimed, rubbing the top of her temple to alleviate some of the pain. That Cyberman had done a number on her. Stupid lump of metal! It better be glad she hadn't torn it apart piece by piece the second it had grabbed her ankle. She officially hated Cybermen. Damn that thing. Trying to take her body … HER body. And then it had the nerve to drug her and muck up her head. What did that stupid alien tv man give her anyways? It made her head feel like a car and three steamrollers had ran across it. It was a migraine but like, three times worse.

"Just your basic knock-out drops. Get some fresh air, you'll be fine." The Doctor replied, giving her a small smile. Thankfully, the Cyberman hadn't killed her, she was still alive and good old Amy. Nothing had changed, well … except she was complaining more than normal, but that was okay, she was Scottish after all. Her people tend to do that kind of thing. Maybe he should give being Scottish a try, then Astrid couldn't scold him for complaining. It was worth a shot after all. Maybe not for too long though, he didn't like acting all mean and grumpy … he rather liked bouncy and fun more than mean and gumpy. Amy could pull off mean and grumpy, not him, no way. According to Astrid he was a child, and a child he would stay.

"Fine. Oh, you're the guy, yeah? The one who did the swordy thing?" Amy inquired, finally looking towards the Roman standing across from the Doctor. He looked familiar … almost like she knew him. She just felt this feeling when she looked at him … like she was incredibly happy, and she couldn't say why. And his eyes, they were just so captivating, so beautiful, and she couldn't look away. Who was this man, this man that seemed to take away all the random sadness she felt. It was like … this was what she was missing, who she was missing. But that made no sense whatsoever, he was a Roman, she couldn't have possibly met this man before in her life. So why did she feel like she belonged with him? Like he was the missing piece of her? Was it because he had saved her … he had saved her right?

"Yeah." Rory replied, giving her a confused glance. Why didn't Amy seem to know who he was? Did she have a concussion? Concussions often gave people amnesia. But she didn't have signs of a concussion, not even a bump, he had checked her for injuries after he had saved her. So why didn't she seem to know who he was? Was it a prank? No, it wasn't a prank … Astrid and the Doctor wouldn't have acted the way they had if it were. So the question was, why did it seem like Amy had amnesia?

"Well, thanks for the swording. Nice swording." Amy replied giving the man a pat on the back as she began to head out. She couldn't stay in there. Not one more second. That Roman just made her feel happy, in love almost, and that scared the crap out of her. She didn't even know the man for crying out loud, and now suddenly she's fallen in love with him? No, no way. There was no such thing as love at first sight, not in her book. And she simply wouldn't allow herself to fall in love with a guy that was dead back in her time period. Nope, no thank you, no siree. She couldn't stay with Vincent just like she can't stay with this guy, and there was no changing that. Not ever.

"No problem. My men are up there. They'll look after you." Rory replied, sadness creeping into his voice. He couldn't very well tell her she had amnesia, or try and explain to her that he knew her, and they were in love, and engaged, and getting married in a few hundred years in the future. That would never work, and in fact, it would probably hurt her more. The mind was a very delicate thing and if he even tried to temper with her amnesia it would hurt her. He'd just have to pretend like he didn't know her. Which hurt, because he loved her. He loved her so much, and he wanted her back. His Amy, his Amelia. But no, she was gone to him, gone forever, and stuck surrounded by a number of 'hot italians' as she called them. Not good. Not good at all.

"Good. Love a Roman." Amy replied, behind her back, her mind still preoccupied. She couldn't shake that feeling. The love and happiness, it was just stuck to her heart and she had no idea why. Perhaps a good talk with some hot guys in metal armor will make it go away. Maybe just maybe it would be enough to distract her hearts and short circuit her brain so she won't think about that guy. Romans, that's all she needed. She loved a good man in metal armor!

"She doesn't know how true that statement is." Astrid mumbled, giving Rory a sly smile. She loved a Roman alright. A once dead man, now Roman, with a kind heart and a great personality. Rory was her version of a 'hot italian.' Her Roman was right in front of her, and she couldn't even see that. Or could she? Astrid had seen the spark in her eyes, the love and happiness that had lit up her features for just a single moment of time, the spark that must of been her subconscious telling her she loved Rory. She did know, she felt the emotions, she must have, but she didn't know why. Love was a powerful thing, a very powerful thing, and Amy and Rory's love was more powerful than most. She was holding on all this time, the very deep parts of her brain trying to tell her what even she could not see. But she couldn't piece it together, she needed help, and help she would get … just not now.

"She doesn't remember me. How can she not remember me?" Rory questioned, looking towards the Doctor and Astrid in confusion. He needed answers, he needed to know how his Amelia had gotten amnesia, how she had gotten hurt, how bad her memory loss was and why she could remember Astrid and the Doctor just not him?! He needed to know. Was it an alien disease? An after effect from the Cyberman sleeping drugs? What had happened between when he had supposedly died and now? And most importantly, would she ever remember him or would she truly be lost to him forever like he had originally thought?

"Oh, don't worry, she'll remember you eventually." Astrid assured, giving Rory a giant smile. Yeah, sure, like she had said, it looked all bleak and horrible now. But if he just waited a little bit, everything would be totally fine … actually, not really, because Rory ends up shooting Amy and the end of world kinda happens and all that. But still, she ends up getting her memory back and that's all that actually matters.

"She will?" Rory questioned looking at Astrid with hope in his eyes. If Astrid said that Amy would remember him, then it would happen … it was the power of her foreknowledge. She had seen this all before, in a way, so she knew what was going to happen already. This was wonderful! Amy is going to be fine. She would remember who he was! He wouldn't have to move on knowing that his love was lost to him, he wouldn't have to leave Amy, they would be together again. He was so grateful Astrid was here, because without her here to calm his nerves he would be freaking out, moping around like the emotional mess he was as he worried over Amy and her memories. But, no, he didn't have to worry. Not now, because Astrid had helped him, she had released a spoiler even though she never really did that. He knew how she was with her spoilers, she knew how much it broke her emotionally to have such a power. It was horrible, she didn't know what to tell and what to keep to herself, and her mind was in constant ruins. She had told him once, she had told him that it felt like she was at battle with herself, and there was never a winner. She hated the spoilers, despised them, yet she had told him Amy would know who he was just to console him, and that made him so happy. Amy would remember, she would, she really truly would … he would just have to wait.

"Sorry what? How? When?" The Doctor questioned looking very shocked as he advanced towards the young ginge. Amy wasn't supposed to remember, that was impossible! Then again, she was already pretty impossible … so it shouldn't be too surprising. And according to what Astrid … older Astrid had told him, Love was a very powerful thing … the strongest force in the universe. And he had seen Amy and Rory. Their love was strong, so very strong that just a little bit of Amy's memory had stayed there, deep within her subconscious, her mind telling her that that ring had belonged to her. She had told him she had felt something … and that something was love. The force was so strong it had broken through the amnesia. And now it was going to somehow, in someway give her all her memories back. The only question was when? Would it take an hour? Two? A day? A month? A year? How strong _was_ love?

"Um … that's obviously spoilers." Astrid stated, a smirk falling to her lips. She felt stronger, so much stronger. Confident, dangerous … fun! Rory was happy, the Doctor was confused, and everything was great right now! Amy and Rory. Rory and Amy. Their love so strong, would defeat Amy's memory loss. Now that was amazing. No matter how many people thought love wasn't worth it … that it was rubbish, that it wasn't real … she'd never believe it. Not ever … if love was truely fake it wouldn't have done this, it wouldn't have saved Amy. If love was rubbish Amy would have never remembered Rory. If it was fake, then no one would be alive. Love was amazing … so completely amazing! And no one would tell her otherwise.

"Great, you've turned into River." The Doctor mumbled, rolling his eyes. She was being confident, sassy, and flirty … she was being River … well, technically she was acting like her older self … but she had always told him that she was inspired by River. Pesky River Song with her overly dramatic, overly confident persona. Where River was the devil, Astrid was her angel … where River was bad, Astrid was good. They contrasted so poorly, yet combined to make the perfect older Astrid. The good bad girl … the nightmare dressed like a daydream … the angel demon. The perfect combination of kindness, sass, patience, and confidence that made her future her … her. And she was beautiful.

* * *

The amazing time she had had slowly sunk away the moment Rory had left them, because the moment Rory had left them to go see Amy was the same time the Doctor's phone rang … and that only meant one thing. The time was coming, the time of the Pandorica. It was so close now, she could feel it. It wasn't the Pandorica that scared her … oh no, it was the time. Because the moment that Pandorica opens, the single second that prison shows its true nature, this whole thing will go south. This was the one thing she had been waiting for, the one moment of time that had scared her senseless the whole day … because she knew. She knew that everything was going to go wrong. She knew that Amy would die at the hands of Rory, she knew how much pain and suffering the Doctor would go through, she knew how hard it was going to be for River, she knew the whole universe was going to cease to exist. She knew. The time was coming, and it was all laid out in her mind like crumbs to a mouse. Any minute now. Any minute. Each second passing by like an eternity until finally, she heard it. A high pitched noise almost like a squeak filling the chamber, her eyes watching painfully as every single Roman slumped over and then rightened as though it had never happened. It was time.

"Um, Doctor." Astrid stated, walking over towards the Timelord. She didn't know what role she would play, if she should hide, run away, or simply face the aliens head on like the Doctor would be. Coward, child or hero? Who was she? Was she someone that saved herself, few, or many? What kind of person was she, she didn't know. She never knew, she was always a mystery to herself … the one person she could never figure out. The girl masked behind an artificial personality. And although she may not know her place, although she may not know herself, she stayed by the Doctor. Because if she knew one thing about herself it's that she never would leave the Doctor in pain, not ever.

"Well, now. Ready to come out, are we?" The Doctor stated, turning around at Astrid's call, watching as a brilliant light shone on her as the Pandorica began to open. Something was going on, he could hear it in her voice … the worry, the sadness … the pain. Something was amiss in this room, and it wasn't the Pandorica … something, something, something! But what? Not the Pandorica, not Astrid, not himself, so what? Wait! Back up! What did he see, what was that? It was the Romans, something was wrong with them, something so tiny he had almost missed it. Bazinga! He had found it! The Romans were … pointing weapons at them that had grown out of their hands. Hand guns, gun hands … they weren't human! But if they weren't human … what were they?

"Plastic Romans. Duplicates, driven by the Nestene Consciousness." Astrid mumbled, her gaze pointing towards the floor as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't do it, she couldn't stand here and watch the Doctor in pain as he tried to explain what was going on. She just couldn't do it. She had to run or hide or do something. It just hurt her, it hurt her so much. The Doctor didn't deserve to be locked up in a cage like a vicious animal. He was kind and helpful and so very loving. He deserved none of this. None of it. And it hurt her to know that he was going to be treated like the villain all because of one stupid misunderstanding.

"The Pandorica is ready." The lead Auton stated, pointing his gun toward the pair, which only made Astrid hurt more. These aliens. These evil, evil aliens didn't understand. They didn't understand all of the pain and hurt that would be avoided if they had just left the Doctor alone. But, they hadn't. They hadn't and now the universe would fall and it would be their fault, not the Doctor's fault … their fault. The Pandorica was open. The pain had begun.

"What, do you mean, it's open?" The Doctor questioned, giving the Roman plastic people a confused look. Yes, the Pandorica was open. But ready? What did that mean? He couldn't exactly hear anything trying to come out of the Pandorica, so what did that mean? And why were the Roman's autons? None of this made any sense! Astrid would know, she always knows … but she'd never tell him anything. Not now, not when she was still afraid to speak her mind. And to be quite honest … he didn't really want to know, not when she looked towards the floor in shame. He knew that look well. It was the look she got when something had gone wrong. When something out of her control was going to happen … something she knew he wouldn't particularly like. Well, she really didn't look like she liked this. Not at all. So that meant one thing, the Pandorica being ready was not good. Whatever it meant.

"You have been scanned, assessed, understood, Doctor. Your limits and capacities have been extrapolated." Another Roman replied, a whimper coming from Astrid's mouth as she listed to the harsh tone of the once humanish soldier. She couldn't do this. She couldn't stay, she wanted to leave, but she couldn't due to the amount of weapons currently aiming at her. If she tried to run even a step they would shoot her dead. She had stay, she had to fight through it. She had to keep her head down and not draw attention to herself. And so, she did. Listening as whizzes sounded around the room indicating other aliens had arrived. She listened as the Doctor pulled her closer to his side, her body flush against his. She listened as the Doctor began whispering to her telling her everything would be fine. She listened as a Dalek spoke out, stopping the Doctor's consoling words telling the Doctor the Pandorica was ready. She listened.

"Ready for what?" The Doctor questioned, turning to look at the Dalek, sending a worried glance towards Astrid. Yes, he didn't really know what was going on at the moment. Yes, he didn't know what the bad thing that was going to happen was. And yes, he did not know what the Pandorica was ready for yet. But none of that mattered, not right now. Astrid never acted like this, never. She was scared to death, frozen in place as she stared towards the ground. Something was wrong with her, and that hurt him. He hated seeing her so easily frightened, so easily frozen in place. It broke his hearts to see her so vulnerable. And it hurt that he couldn't help her … too distracted by the other things going on. The Pandorica was in the way, the stupid Pandorica that was for some reason ready for something. And that agitated him, because no matter what Astrid should and would always be first in his mind. Always, no matter what else was happening! She should be first, the first to be helped, the first to be listened to, but she wasn't and it was all because the Pandorica had opened and it was 'ready.'

"Ready for you. And for your weapon." The same white Dalek replied, four Roman soldiers grabbing the pair of them and dragging them towards the box. Astrid watched, her feet going out from underneath her as they drug her ever closer to the box. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be like this. She wasn't supposed to be here, to be placed in the box with the Doctor. But it was happening, and now she knew. She knew the person she was supposed to be. She knew the person she was. Rory had told her that she had to believe in herself, and she would. Because she wasn't the coward that hid, or the child that ran away, or even the hero that stayed behind and saved the world. She was simply Astrid Selene, the one that was there when no one else would be … the emotional support, the one that thought with her heart. She thought with love. Love was her power, not foreknowledge, not strength or bravery … Love. The strongest force in the universe. These creatures knew nothing of Love, all they knew was how to keep themselves alive, how to kill others. But she knew how to love. Love won all wars, love always won, and it was a power that was strong within her. She didn't need to be afraid, she didn't need to stay still as the events occurred around her. She had the bite of a ginge and the love of a million nations. These aliens had it right, she was a weapon, the weapon of love.

They were dragged closer and closer to the entry of the Pandorica, Astrid slowly coming back to reality as the Doctor was clamped into place, her body placed gently atop the Doctor's lap. She was not getting out of this without a fight. Not at all! She was Astrid mother freaking Selene! No one put her in a prison, never! Not to mention … she. WAS. NOT. A. CHILD! No one put her on their lap! She was wiser than any of those aliens combined! Oh, they would definitely regret not restraining her, because she was a bomb and she was so ready to explode, and explode she would. They better watch their backs, because she was a weapon, and this weapon was ready to be deployed!

"I am not a damn child!" Astrid screeched, her eyes burning as they glowed a crimson red, something deep inside her coming out to play. She could feel it, the dangerous part of her teetering over the edge as she kicked the two guards in front of her, her body immediately jumping off the Doctor's lap and sitting defiantly on the ground of the Pandorica. The danger coursed through her blood, a fiery feeling filling her bones as she glared at all of the aliens with so much disgust. They were the reason the Doctor would suffer, the reason that the universe would end, the reason that so many people had died. They were the reason. And if they thought they were forgiven, well they had another thing coming. No second chances, not ever, not for those that didn't deserve it. That was the kind of person she was. She had found herself, finally after years of searching she had found the other part of her, the part that defined who she was. And it felt amazing!

"I'm sitting on the ground and that is final, if any of you dare touch me I will tear you apart piece by piece, you got that!" Astrid exclaimed, staring down every single alien as they stared at her in fear. If any of them dare touch her they would see what love could do to a person. She loved the Doctor, deeply, and they had hurt him, locking him away in a prison. Strike one. One more strike and they're dead. No one hurts the ones she loves, not ever!

The Doctor watched her, a small smile on his face as he watched her, his eyes focusing on her eyes. It had stabilized, her eyes, the color was pronounced, more so then it ever had been. And here she was, so confident, so dangerous, so very Astrid. She had her sass, her bite, the dangerous part of her let out of it's cage once and for all. She was almost here, his Astrid … he could feel it. So very close now. This was it, the closests to being her older self she had ever been before. So loving, so protective, so amazing!

"All reality is threatened. All universes will be deleted." A Silurian spoke up, Astrid turning her glare towards the creature, her eyes burning from the intense gaze as the silurian stepped back a step, too afraid to step nearer. She didn't know why they were so afraid of her, a girl not more than fourteen years old. But they were afraid, so very afraid of what she could do. It was hilarious! She held so much power with a single gaze, and she absolutely loved it. She didn't need guns, or knives, or anything like that … she just needed her bite, her glare, and the belief she had in herself that Rory had helped her to find. The reality was threatened alright, but not by the Doctor.

"What? And you've come to me for help?" The Doctor inquired, looking questioningly towards the different alien species. He really hoped that they simply needed his help, but he knew it wasn't the case. Astrid had been so upset before, she knew this was coming, and so she knew that the reasoning behind him being locked up was not a good one. Something very bad was going on, very bad indeed. And he had a feeling that he wasn't locked up to help.

"No. We will save the universe from you!" The Silurian replied, glancing worriedly towards Astrid's deep glare. Everytime she looked at a specific alien it was almost like she could see them, like deep down into their souls, their mind, the very essence of who they were. She could see their darkest secrets, their dreams, the thoughts and the very atoms that made them up, it was all there laid on the table for her to see. She could push them all together, or weave them out of existence. But she didn't, she knew she couldn't. They were going to die, and they must die then, no earlier or the universe would break even more so then it was going to. She had to be delicate, to snap out of this little charade of hers. The Doctor was about to find out why he was in the box, why they were trying to save the universe from him. She had to be here to support him, to protect the one she loved. She couldn't act like this, like some type of confident god. She was just a girl, a girl with the power of love. No more, no less.

"From me?" The Doctor inquired, looking towards Astrid in confusion. He didn't destroy the universe … well, not this time anyways. To be perfectly honest he had come here to see Astrid to start out with … but then so many other things happened, that painting, and then the Pandorica. He didn't want to get into trouble … honest. He wasn't even looking for trouble, it just sort of happened. But out of all of the things he had done today he did not destroy the universe. The universe didn't even need saving well, that is if River did manage to land the Tardis and get out of there. So why were these alien species trying to save the universe from him? Why lock him up if he wasn't even in the Tardis, if he wasn't even going to destroy the universe?

"All projections correlate. All evidence concurs. The Doctor will destroy the universe." A Cyberman replied, not daring to step closer to the pair. It infuriated Astrid. The Doctor destroy the universe? Ha! Nope nope nopity nope, big bag of nope. It wasn't his fault, not at all. This was the one time he had done nothing except wait. He hadn't done anything. The Tardis had exploded herself, the Doctor hadn't piloted her, he hadn't even touched her since he had arrived. It wasn't his fault that she had caused the end of the universe … technically it wasn't really anyone's fault. But she stilled blamed these aliens … they had intervened when they shouldn't have. The Doctor saved things time and time again, and he could have avoided the universe ending if he had just been left alone. They think he destroyed the universe, well … he didn't.

"No, no, no. You've got it wrong." The Doctor replied, his hearts thumping painfully against his chest. He didn't destroy the universe, he simply didn't. It was still here, there was still hope. He couldn't be locked up, he couldn't be trapped in the Pandorica … Astrid couldn't be stuck in the Pandorica. She just couldn't! She still had so much to live for. So much ahead of her … she couldn't be stuck with him, she just couldn't. He had to get them to see, get them to realize that he had done nothing … that the universe dying was not his fault. He had to get them to understand. Because if they didn't, Astrid would be stuck here … stuck to be tortured in a small box forever, no communication with the outside world, never reaching her full potential. Never becoming his Astrid. Dying before she got the chance to find herself. It was all his fault, she had done nothing. Nothing. And now she was being dragged along for the ride. He had to help them see that the universe was okay, that the Pandorica was not the only option. He had to explain what was going on, and if it meant saving Astrid he would.

"The Pandorica was constructed to ensure the safety of the Alliance. A scenario was devised from the memories of your companion. A trap the Doctor could not resist. The cracks in time are the work of the Doctor. It is confirmed." The Cyberman replied, his gaze focused on the Timelord rather than Astrid herself. She knew it was scared, she could feel it, but she dare not show it. She was the guard dog, the Doctor's protection. And she was here to keep the aliens back from him, to make sure they didn't inflict too much pain on the man. She wasn't here to harm … to get cocky and destroy them all like she had been wanting to do for a while now. They deserved it, didn't they? They killed several different species throughout their life. But then on the other hand she couldn't turn into them. She had to stay calm and collected. She couldn't turn into a monster. She had the power of love, not hate. She would protect the Doctor with peace, not war. She had to stay in control, and in control she would be. It was coming time, the time the Pandorica closed and the next chapter began, and she would have to be ready. Ready to help, ready to love, ready to console. She had to be ready to help the Doctor.

"No. no, no, not me, the Tardis. And I'm not in the Tardis, am I?" The Doctor explained, desperately trying to get them to listen. They couldn't lock him and Astrid up, they had to let them go. He had a feeling that River hadn't landed, but there was still a chance he could save the universe, a really slim chance albeit it, but a chance nonetheless. They just had to let him out! He wasn't in the Tardis, and the Tardis could explode at any moment ... they were right the universe could very well end. But not by his hands.

"Only the Doctor and his weapon can pilot the Tardis." The White Dalek replied, Astrid glaring at the Dalek with more malice than any other creature. She was confused, so very confused. There it was again the whole weapon thing. Yup, she was a weapon, a great big weapon of mass destruction ...sure. She could deal with being called that. But the one thing she could not deal with was that tiny little spoiler. She could pilot the Tardis? In the future? That was amazing, don't get her wrong, she's always wanted to learn that! But one question still bothered her … how would she learn that? It wasn't like the Doctor would teach her or anything. This was the Tardis we were talking about. The Doctor never taught his companions how to fly her, not completely at least. And it wasn't like the Tardis would teach her like she had taught River, from what she knew the Doctor wouldn't need her to save him anytime soon. There was always the possibility that River had taught her, but that seemed unlikely. From what Riv had told her she doesn't visit River alone for very long, which meant there wasn't enough time for the half Timelord to teach her such a thing. So the question still stood … who had taught her of all people how to fly the Tardis!

"Please, listen to me! Total event collapse! Every sun will supernova at every moment in history. The whole universe will never have existed. Please, listen to me! No! Please, listen to me! The Tardis is exploding right now and I'm the only one who can stop it! Listen to me!" The Doctor pleaded, immediately calming down once he felt a warm hand grab his. Astrid was holding his hand, she was trying to help him, to be there for him, and just that simple fact helped immensely. She didn't realize what she was doing but she was acting more and more like her older self. Astrid Selene was growing up. She was giving him her love, being there for him when he needed it most just like when he was there for her. They protected each other, and right now, even from the beginning of her journey she was keeping him safe from more harm. She knew what would happen, she knew how much pain he was in. His angel, his sweetie, his love, His Astrid Selene. Her heart was connected to his hearts. They were one, and it was why right here right now she was giving him her support. Because she knew they wouldn't listen. She knew the aliens would fail to release them, she just knew, and she was here to help him through the frustration and pain he had in his hearts. He wouldn't keep her safe. They were going to be stuck in this damned box forever, and it was all his fault.

"That's not gonna work here sweetie." Astrid mumbled, her eyes briefly glowing a morose blue before quickly returning back to a crimson red. She couldn't do this, she couldn't bare to see the Doctor so broken all because of one single misunderstanding. She had to do something, she had to act, to teach these damn aliens a lesson or two. No one hurt her Doctor, not ever. That was the last straw. No second chances, no more protecting, it was time to release it all … everything she has been feeling, everything she has been thinking. They had to know how she felt, and they would know, because she was done. D. O. N. E. waiting for death to kick these aliens up the arse. She was gonna give them the arse whooping of their lives. She was Astrid Selene and nobody … nobody quite had bite like her. They had hurt the Doctor, and she was done waiting for karma to do it's job.

"There is one last thing I have to say to you, and you better listen well. You were all wrong, so completely and utterly wrong. You could have avoided the end of the universe by leaving the Doctor alone, but you didn't. You locked him up like an animal, leaving the whole universe defenceless. And now I have no regret with what comes next for you all. Your fate is determined, and what's more you deserve it. I hope you understand that today marks the day of your deaths all because of your actions. The Doctor had nothing to do with the end of the universe, oh no, that was all you and don't you ever forget it!" Astrid explained, her steely eyes sweeping through the crowd of aliens. The Doctor watching her with amazement. She was just so strong, so brave, so beautiful. Everytime she spoke like that it sent chills down his spine, and he remembered all over again what it was like to fall in love with her. He was trouble … the oncoming storm. But she was bigger, better. He was thunder, the warning, the sign that something bad was coming … but she, she was lightening. She gave no warning, she just struck … her volts killing anyone instantly. She was beauty in the night, beauty with a bite. A beauty much more dangerous then he could ever be. Where he would forgive anyone, even his enemies, she only forgave those that deserved it, destroying those that did not. She was his firecracker, the flame that kept him sane. She understood emotion and compassion, where he understood thoughts and processes. She thought with her heart, while he thought with his head. He kept her from doing anything rash, and she protected him … his lightening. His Astrid Selene.

"I am so, so very sorry for what's happened." Astrid stated, turning towards him once again, her eyes glowing bluer than any blue. She knew she couldn't have really done anything to stop this from happening. But she could have damn well tried. And now, the Doctor had been hurt, albeit emotionally … but still hurt nonetheless. And it was her fault. She should have helped him much sooner, she should done something, anything to get the aliens to shut their traps. But she had been frozen in fear, so much less than she was now. And she would never forgive herself for acting like such a coward.

"It isn't your fault I swear, not one bit." The Doctor replied, laying a quick kiss upon her hand as though to assure her. This … all of this was not Astrid's fault. It never would be her fault. She wasn't the one that had trapped him in a giant box and let the universe tear itself apart … oh, no. That had been their fault … the aliens … the one's so afraid of him that they would lock him up to stop him. Astrid had nothing to do with any of that. She had knowledge on what was going to happen, yes, but he would never put that against her. She couldn't tell him, it would mess up the universe more than it would be. The universe was dying … but if she told him what was going to happen, try time and space in every universe ever made dying. Astrid had nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all, yet she had, and as the Pandorica slowly closed around him and Astrid he smiled, because he knew. He knew that everything would be okay. Astrid was safe with him, and although they were stuck in the Pandorica he knew it was alright. Because Astrid was calm. Because she was happy. Because she was not worried one bit. Because if she was acting this way it could mean only one thing … their story wasn't over. They would get out of this somehow in someway. The next chapter was starting. It was time to save the universe!


	18. UPDATE

**Hi guys, since a few of you that follow this story have been asking me if I'm continuing this story I figured I'd publish this update to give you an answer. Yes, I plan on continuing this story. I usually post for this story during the summer because it is so difficult to type up a chapter and balance everything else I do during the school year. I don't know what is going to happen this summer as I am currently in 11th grade and I plan on doing a few summer college programs as well as visit London (the place I want to live), but I plan on posting as many chapters as I can for you guys! Next summer is going to be a bit hectic too as I will be going to college, so I'm not sure about next year as of right now, but as of right now I will start posting when my High School classes end and this story will continue. Thank you for sticking with me all these years, to those of you that are my old fans, and for those of you that just became a fan, welcome, I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far! That's all for now guys! See ya later!**

 **-Freya Astrid Nova**


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